UPDATE – 2 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in West Bank

By Qais Abu Samra

UPDATES DEATH TOLL, CHANGES HEADLINE, LEAD, EDITS THROUGH

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Two Palestinians lost their lives to Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, according to Palestinian authorities.

A 17-year-old Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces at Qalandia military checkpoint, the state news agency Wafa reported.

In a statement, the Jerusalem Governorate Office identified the slain Palestinian as Ishaq Ajlouni from the town of Kafr Aqab, north of Jerusalem.

For its part, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said that its fighters had engaged in clashes with Israeli forces at the checkpoint.

Israeli police confirmed that an Israeli security personnel was injured in the attack. It said the attacker was neutralized.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian man died of wounds he sustained from Israeli fire in the West Bank city of Nablus on Friday, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

A ministry statement said the 39-year-old man was critically injured during an Israeli military raid in Askar refugee camp in Nablus and succumbed to his wounds on Saturday.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank in recent months amid repeated Israeli raids into Palestinian towns.

Nearly 180 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of this year, according to the Health Ministry. At least 25 Israelis have also been killed in separate attacks during the same period.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar