RAMALLAH: Three Palestinians were killed in an attack by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian authorities and the Israeli military said on Sunday, marking the second deadly incident reported in two days.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, settlers shot and killed Thaer Faruq Hamayel, 24, and Farea Jawdat Hamayel, 57, in the town of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah. The ministry did not specify when the shooting took place or provide additional details about the circumstances.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Hussein al-Sheikh, vice president of the Palestinian Authority, condemned what he described as a “brutal attack on innocent citizens,” adding that three people were killed and seven others injured in the incident.
The Israel Defense Forces said its troops were dispatched to the Abu Falah area after receiving reports that Palestinians were being attacked by Israeli civilians near residential homes.
In a statement, the military said two Palestinians died from gunshot wounds while another person reportedly died due to suffocation.
The incident follows another attack on Saturday in the village of Wadi al-Rakhim, where Palestinian officials said settlers shot and killed a man and wounded his brother.
Mohammad Rabai, head of the nearby Tuwani village council, told media that settlers entered homes in the area and attacked the family of Amir Mohammad Shnaran, 27, who later died from his injuries.
The Israeli military said soldiers and police were deployed after reports of a “violent confrontation” between Israelis and Palestinians and that an investigation into the incident was underway.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 1,042 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces and settlers since the start of the war in Gaza.