3 Palestinians shot dead by Israel troops in occupied West Bank

Two Palestinian men were shot dead on Saturday, by the Israeli army during a military raid carried out in Jenin, West Bank, while a third Palestinian died of wounds sustained in a separate Israeli raid, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

The two men, 24-year-old Ezzedine Bassem Hamamreh, and 23-year-old Amjad Adnan Khaliliyeh – were killed as the Israeli soldiers opened fire on the vehicle they were travelling in.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said that Hamamreh and Khaliliyeh were its members. In a statement, the group condemned the killings, describing the two men as “heroic martyrs”.

The Palestinian health ministry said that the third Palestinian, 19-year-old Yazan Samer -Jabari, died of wounds sustained on January 2 by Israeli forces.

Al-Jabari was wounded in the village of Kafr Dan, near Jenin, during an army raid, in which two other Palestinians were killed.

The death toll since the beginning of this year has risen to 12, including 3 children.

For months, the West Bank has been witnessing tension following the Israeli force’s incursions into Palestinian cities and villages, punctuated by armed confrontations and clashes.

The United Nations said that 2022 was the bloodiest year for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in the past 16 years, as Israeli forces killed 149 Palestinians. More than 30 children were among the dead last year. At least 9,000 Palestinians were wounded.