Israeli forces kill two Palestinians

NABLUS, Palestinian Territories: Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians in separate incidents on Wednesday, including one who allegedly tried to stab soldiers and a teenager who appeared to point a fake gun at police, sources on both sides said.

In the first incident, Arref Abdel Nasser Arref Lahlouh, 22, was killed “by Israeli gunfire,” near the occupied West Bank Palestinian city of Qalqilya, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

The army said that Lahlou “attempted to carry out a stabbing attack” near the Jewish settlement of Kdumim. “The assailant, armed with a knife, arrived at an IDF military post and attempted to stab an IDF soldier at the scene,” it said.

Lahlouh was “neutralised by the soldiers in the area,” the army added. Lahlou is the 19th Palestinian killed in the West Bank this year, including civilians and combatants, the majority of whom were shot dead by Israeli forces.

Separately on Wednesday, Israeli forces killed a teenager during an operation in the Shuafat refugee camp in Israeli-annexed east al-Quds. The Palestinian health ministry identified him as Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali, 17.

Forces had gone to the camp to demolish the home of Udai Tamimi, who shot and killed military policewoman Noa Lazar at a checkpoint in October. Israeli police said that “masked terrorists threw pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails” at officers during the operation.