RAMALLAH – Two Palestinian men were shot and killed by the Israeli forces in the town of Qabatiya, northern West Bank, on Wednesday morning, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
The Ramallah-based ministry identified the killed victims as Muhammad Omar Muhammad Zakarneh, 23, and Yasser Rateb Khuzaimiya, 19.
According to the Palestinian official news agency WAFA, the Israeli forces on Wednesday morning surrounded a cave in a quarry area and fired intensely at it. Bulldozers were later deployed to dredge the area.
In a statement released the same day, Israeli Police said the raid targeted a cave in the Jenin area where a militant allegedly involved in a January attack that killed three Israeli civilians was hiding. During the operation, Israeli forces exchanged fire with the suspect and two other militants.
According to the statement, two militants were killed in the exchange, and weapons were recovered from their bodies.
XINHUA
