TULKARM: Two Palestinians were shot dead by Israelis in the occupied West Bank on Friday, one by soldiers and the other by settlers, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Late on Friday it announced the death of Qusai Jamal Maatan, 19, saying he was “shot dead by settlers in the village of Burqa”, east of Ramallah.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Earlier, soldiers had shot dead another young Palestinian.

In a statement, the Palestinian health ministry said 18-year-old Mahmoud Abu Saan was “killed this morning by live bullets from the occupation (Israel) in Tulkarm”.

The Israeli army said that while forces were patrolling “suspects fired and hurled explosives and stones at the soldiers, who responded with live fire”.

“Hits were identified,” the statement added, specifying that no soldiers were hurt.

The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that Abu Saan was “shot in the head by the occupation soldiers at zero distance”.

At Abu Saan’s funeral, his head was shrouded in the Palestinian flag as his body was paraded through the town’s streets ahead of the burial.

Published in Dawn, Aug 5th, 2023