 "An Israeli security forces member loads a tear gas launcher as they block Palestinians from reaching their land to harvest olives in the occupied West Bank village of Kobar, near Ramallah, on October 18, 2025.- AFP")
Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian teenagers during an overnight raid in Kfar Aqab near Ramallah, residents said, amid a surge in violence across the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Palestinian health ministry identified the victims as 16-year-old Sami Ibrahim Mashaikha and 18-year-old Amr Khaled Al-Marboua, both of whom later died of their wounds.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Israeli forces entered the town before dawn, taking positions on streets and rooftops and opening fire. Israel Police said its units shot at four people who they claimed posed an “immediate threat” during the operation. The individuals were evacuated by medical teams, the police added. The raid, it said, targeted “hostile elements” accused of planning attacks and inciting unrest. Police also reported heavy gunfire in the area, though said its source was unclear.
Despite a 10 October ceasefire that has largely halted the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, the West Bank has seen escalating unrest. Palestinians have faced increasing military restrictions over the past two years, while attacks by Israeli settlers have risen sharply.
Overnight, settlers attacked communities near Nablus, torching property in Huwara and Abu Falah, residents said. The Israeli military said soldiers responded to reports of Israeli civilians throwing stones at Palestinian vehicles and setting fire to property, but said searches in the area yielded no suspects.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he would meet cabinet ministers to ensure Israelis involved in attacks on Palestinians are prosecuted, calling the perpetrators a “small, extremist group”. In recent months, videos shared widely online have shown groups of settlers, often carrying clubs and sometimes firearms, assaulting Palestinian communities.
Israeli forces have killed six Palestinian minors under 18 in the West Bank so far this month, according to a Reuters tally. In one incident near Ramallah, the military said two 16-year-olds hurled petrol bombs at a civilian road. Reuters could not independently verify the claim; the army released a brief, grainy nine-second clip said to show the attack, but declined to provide the full video or answer queries about why soldiers opened fire rather than attempting an arrest.
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View AllOn Tuesday, Palestinian attackers killed an Israeli man and wounded three others in a car-ramming and stabbing attack in the West Bank before being shot dead by soldiers.