Israeli Military Kills Two Palestinian Youths in Village Raid, Residents Say

Israeli security forces killed two Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during a nighttime raid on Wednesday, according to local witnesses, the latest deadly episode in an area where Jewish settlers are encroaching on farmland and Palestinian homes. The Israeli military acknowledged it fired on “instigators” among Palestinian villagers in their confrontation with settlers and security forces. It said there were “hits,” without confirming fatalities. The village, Al Mughayir, in the Ramallah district, has long been the target of attacks and intimidation by extremist Israeli settlers who have set up outposts in the surrounding hills, largely under the protection of the Israeli military. Palestinians and human rights groups say they are intensifying their attacks in an effort to take over the land . Violence has frequently erupted over sheep grazing rights and accusations by both settlers and villagers that the other has stolen livestock. That was the case on Wednesday, local residents and the Israeli military said, when a day of escalating tensions culminated in Israeli security forces fatally shooting two youths identified by local officials and relatives as Khalil Abu Alia, 16, and Omar al-Naasan, 19. Settler violence in the West Bank has soared to record levels , drawing international scrutiny and condemnation. The number of attacks increased after the Oct. 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel, which was led by the Palestinian armed group Hamas and ignited the war in Gaza. Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel who is generally supportive of the Israeli settler movement, recently condemned settlers who had besieged two Palestinian families in their homes , including one that was owned by an American citizen. We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in . Want all of The Times? Subscribe .