Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian teenagers near Ramallah in the West Bank on Wednesday after protests against Israel's bombing of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said.
The deaths brought the toll of Palestinians killed in the latest flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence to at least 64 in the West Bank, a sharp uptick in fatal clashes with the army and settlers.
Israel is preparing a ground assault in the Gaza Strip in response to a deadly attack by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas that killed 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians, on October 7.
More than 3,000 Palestinians reported dead
Israeli forces have carried out their fiercest bombardment of Gaza in response, killing more than 3,000 Palestinians and imposing a total siege on the blockaded enclave that Hamas controls.
A statement from the Palestinian Authority's health ministry said Israeli forces shot a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old in the village of Shuqba west of Ramallah. It did not elaborate.
Residents told Reuters the two boys were trying to light tires in protest against Israel when they were shot.