RAMALLAH, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Two Palestinians were shot dead on Sunday in separate incidents in the northern and central West Bank, according to Palestinian and Israeli sources.
Mo'tasem Attallah, 17, was killed by a civilian at an Israeli settlement in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement.
"A terrorist armed with a knife entered the community and a civilian shot him," the Israeli military said in a statement. The man was later confirmed dead.
The Israeli army arriving at the scene prevented the medical teams of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society from entering the settlement and getting the teenager's body, according to Palestinian eyewitnesses.
Earlier in the day, a 27-year-old Palestinian man was killed by Israeli soldiers as he tried to cross the security fence between the West Bank and Israel, according to Palestinian and Israeli sources.
Mahmoud Arram was shot by Israeli soldiers near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement.
The Israeli army said the force "fired at him in accordance with arrest procedures."
Arram was taken to the hospital but later died of his wounds, according to the army.
The Hebrew-language Ha'aretz newspaper reported that he was a resident of the Gaza Strip who entered Israel in 2019 to seek medical care and has not returned to Gaza ever since.
Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been flaring in the past few weeks. According to official Israeli figures, 18 Israelis have been killed in several shooting and stabbing attacks since March 22.
More than 20 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank, including women and children during the same period, according to official Palestinian figures.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye condemned the killings of the two Palestinians on Sunday and described them as "horrific crimes committed against the Palestinian people."
He said in a statement that the international community "is required to intervene urgently to stop Israel's organized terrorism and provide protection for the Palestinians."
"The brutality of force will not undermine the Palestinian people's determination to protect their land and defend their holy sites," Ishtaye added.
Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement that Israeli security forces have launched a large-scale operation to arrest Palestinians who stayed in Israel without permits.
"An entire industry has developed around the smuggling, transportation and employment of the people present in Israel illegally," he said.
Hamas, the militant organization that rules the Gaza Strip, said in a press statement that killing two Palestinians in the West Bank "in cold blood" is condemnable.
"The Israeli occupier's violence against the Palestinian people, including the killing of two Palestinians in cold blood today, unveils the terror that controls the behavior of the Israeli army," the Hamas statement said. ■
