RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories, July 24, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Palestinian officials said Israeli troops killed two men, including a customs officer, in separate raids in the West Bank on Wednesday, the latest violence to rock the occupied Palestinian territory.

The raids were carried out before dawn in Qalandiya refugee camp and the town of Tubas, residents and officials said.

When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was "looking into" reports of the two deaths.

Palestinian sources identified the men killed as Ahmad Nidal Aslan, 19, from Qalandiya, and Abdul Nasser Muhannad Sarhan, 23, from Tubas.

Residents of Qalandiya said Aslan was killed when Israeli forces shot him after they entered the town to demolish the home of Mohammad Manasra, accused by Israel of carrying out a deadly attack on a West Bank settlement in February.

Clashes erupted after the troops blew up the second floor of the building. Six men were wounded, they added.

"At dawn, the occupation soldiers fired two bullets at Ahmad. He was taken to hospital where he died," a resident told AFP, declining to be identified for safety reasons.

Further north in Tubas, the Palestinian health ministry said Israeli troops shot dead Sarhan and wounded two others.

"The Israeli army raided the town of Tubas at dawn and arrested two young men," a resident of the town told AFP, also declining to be identified.
"As they were leaving, they fired at Sarhan and another young man."

The Palestinian customs authority said Sarhan was one of its officers.

The health ministry said the death toll from an Israeli raid on the town of Tulkarem on Tuesday had risen to six after a Palestinian shot by troops died of his wounds.

The Israeli military said its forces "eliminated" a local Hamas commander in the raid on the town's refugee camp.

Known as a hub of Palestinian militant activity, Tulkarem is frequently raided by Israeli troops.

Since the war in Gaza erupted with Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attacks on Israel, violence has soared in the West Bank, with at least 589 Palestinians killed by Israeli troops or settlers, according to the Palestinian authorities.

At least 17 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in attacks in the territory involving Palestinians, according to Israeli official figures.