(MENAFN) Two young Palestinians lost their lives early Monday in separate incidents involving Israeli forces and illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to reports.

Nineteen-year-old Ahmed Rubhi al-Atrash was fatally shot in the head at close range by an illegal settler near the northern entrance of Hebron. Witnesses said Israeli forces blocked Red Crescent medics from reaching him as he lay bleeding, leading to his death. His remains were later handed over to his family after identification.

In another attack, the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that 17-year-old Jamil Atef Hannani succumbed to serious injuries he sustained the previous evening when Israeli troops opened fire during a military raid in the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, Hannani was struck in the chest by live bullets and rushed to Rafidia Government Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Reports indicate that Israeli military operations and settler violence have intensified across the occupied West Bank since October 2023, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,063 Palestinians and injuries to over 10,300 others.

In a significant ruling issued last July, the International Court of Justice deemed Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories unlawful and called for the removal of all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

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