UPDATE 3 - Israeli forces kill 3 Palestinian brothers during West Bank raids

ADDS NEW FATALITY, REVISES HEADLINE AND LEDE

By Ahmed Asmar and Mohammad Sio

Israeli forces shot and killed three Palestinians during raids Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian sources.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said it was informed by the General Authority of Civil Affairs—the official Palestinian liaison with Israel—that brothers Nidal Ameira, 40, and Khaled Ameira, 35, were killed by Israeli gunfire in Nablus during an Israeli raid.

Earlier, the Israeli military said it killed two Palestinians during an operation in the city but did not name them.

In a statement on X, the military claimed the two men tried to seize a soldier’s weapon during a search, resulting in a firefight that left one soldier moderately wounded and three others lightly injured. The troops responded with gunfire, killing the two men, the statement said.

Separately, Israeli forces killed former Palestinian prisoner Raeq Bisharat during a raid on the town of Tammun south of Tubas in the occupied West Bank, the official Palestine TV reported.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported earlier that Israeli forces shot and wounded four Palestinians, including two critically, during a military raid in the West Bank city of Nablus.

WAFA said Israeli forces blocked ambulances and medics from reaching the site to evacuate the injured.

The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that its medics treated dozens of people in the area, including three who sustained gunshot wounds.

Witnesses said Israeli forces searched several houses and shops in the area and detained several Palestinians.

They said the Israeli army expanded its raid in the city to include the Balata refugee camp in eastern Nablus.

Nablus Mayor Ghassan Daghlas suspended work at all public institutions, schools and universities in the city due to the Israeli raid.

Since the start of Israel’s assault on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, 977 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and settlers, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.