Israeli soldiers shot dead two Palestinian teenagers in the occupied West Bank on June 22, Palestinian officials said, while the Israeli military said the two had attacked a nearby Jewish settlement with firebombs and burning tyres, Reuters reports.
There was no immediate further comment from Palestinian officials regarding the fatal incident in the area of Beit Ummar. The official Palestinian news agency said the teenagers were aged 15 and 19, and a relative confirmed their ages.
Reuters said it was unable to independently verify the Israeli military’s account. The military stated that its forces had opened fire on three individuals who were throwing firebombs and burning tyres near the Karmei Tzur settlement.
“One of the three was wounded and two killed,” the military said. The third person was hospitalised in stable condition. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said the surviving individual is 15 years old.
Israeli troops carry out frequent raids in the West Bank and have tightened movement restrictions in recent months on Palestinian villages located near settlements.
United Nations bodies and most countries consider Israeli settlements illegal under international law and a major obstacle to Palestinian statehood. Israel disputes this, describing the territory as contested rather than occupied, and maintains that a Jewish presence has existed there for thousands of years.
Attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians and their villages have also increased sharply. According to UN data, at least 57 Palestinians have been killed in incidents involving settlers and the military since the beginning of the year.
Palestinians have also carried out attacks on Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank, at least one of them deadly in 2026, according to Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service.
By Vafa Guliyeva
