Israeli settlers kill two Palestinians in occupied West Bank

Two Palestinians shot in the head, and one killed after being hit by tear gas canister fired by Israeli soldiers in village northeast of Ramallah.Published On 8 Mar 2026Israeli settlers have shot dead two Palestinians during an assault on a town in the occupied West Bank, WAFA news agency WAFA reports – the latest in a series of assaults that have killed at least six Palestinians in a week.The agency, citing a statement from the Palestinian Health Ministry, on Sunday said the attack occurred overnight on the village of Abu Falah in the northeast of Ramallah.It identified the victims as Fare’ Jawdat Hamayel, 57, and Thaer Farouq Hamayel, 24. Both were shot in the head, the agency reported.A third resident died later from the fumes of a tear gas canister fired by Israeli soldiers who accompanied the settlers to disperse residents when they tried to confront the attackers, WAFA said. It identified him as Muhammad Hassan Murrah, 55.In a post on X, Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the “brutal attack on innocent citizens”, saying three were killed and seven others injured.The Israeli military said forces were dispatched to the Abu Falah area “following a report of Palestinians being attacked by Israeli civilians near homes”, the AFP news agency reported.“Later, it was reported that two Palestinians were killed as a result of gunfire. Additionally, it was reported that another Palestinian died from suffocation,” it said in a statement, according to the report.The Israeli military said it was “looking into” the incidents, the AFP news agency reported.Exploiting the United States-Israeli war on Iran, the settlers have stepped up harassment and attacks on Palestinians, particularly in rural areas of the West Bank. WAFA said the killings in Abu Falah raised to at least six the number of Palestinians killed by settlers in the West Bank since the US-Israeli assault on Iran began a week ago.