Israel Two members of Islamic Jihad killed in the West Bank

According to Israeli and Palestinian sources, Israeli security forces have killed two men wanted by Israel in the West Bank. The two Palestinians were members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Israeli police announced on Friday. Palestinian media confirmed this.

According to the police, they were to be arrested in the town of Kalkilia in the north-west of the Palestinian territory. The police officers and soldiers were shot at during the operation. The Israeli security forces fired back. One of the two people killed is said to have been planning a terrorist attack in the area, according to a police statement. Both had handguns with them.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli forces had fired on the men's car. Two more people were injured. There had already been an operation in the city on Thursday. According to Palestinian reports, a 15-year-old boy was killed in clashes.

The situation in the West Bank has worsened significantly since the start of the Gaza war following the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023. Since then, at least 530 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, confrontations or their own attacks in the West Bank, according to the Ministry of Health. Settler violence against Palestinians also increased again during this period.