Israeli military kills 2 Palestinians at West Bank checkpoint

The Israeli military said Saturday that its troops shot and killed two Palestinians in the southern West Bank city of Hebron after the pair drove a vehicle toward soldiers at a checkpoint.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said soldiers opened fire after a vehicle accelerated toward them during an "operational activity." One soldier was slightly injured, according to Israel's Kan public broadcaster, which reported that the troops belonged to the 202nd Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA offered a different account, reporting that Israeli forces fired on a vehicle carrying Palestinian civilians in the Bab al-Zawiya area of central Hebron and then blocked Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances from reaching the scene.

The West Bank has witnessed a sharp escalation of violence since October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of around 1,000 Palestinians, hundreds of injuries, and the demolition of dozens of homes, according to Palestinian statistics.

Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The settlements it has built there, along with its military occupation, are considered illegal under international law.