Israeli forces kill two Palestinian teens in escalating West Bank violence

Israeli forces killed two Palestinian teenagers during an overnight raid on a town near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, residents said, as violence surges in the territory with a growing number of dead.

Forces shot Sami Ibrahim Mashaikha, 16, and Amr Khaled Al-Marboua, 18, in Kfar Aqab and both later died of their wounds, according to the health ministry in the Palestinian Authority that exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank.

The Palestinian WAFA news agency reported that Israeli forces had raided Kfar Aqab overnight, deploying forces to the streets and on top of the town's buildings before opening fire.

Asked for comment, the Israeli military deferred to the Israel Border Police, a unit of Israel's national police, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While an 10 October ceasefire has largely ended the war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants, the West Bank is experiencing increasing violence.

Palestinians have faced tightening military restrictions over the past two years, curbing their freedom of movement. Attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers have also escalated.

Overnight, settlers attacked communities near Nablus, setting fire to properties in Huwara and Abu Falah, residents there said.

The Israeli military said that soldiers responded to reports overnight of Israeli civilians hurling rocks toward Palestinian vehicles and setting fire to property in the Huwara area.

Israeli soldiers carried out searches in the area but found no suspects, the military said in a statement.

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