Two Palestinians shot dead by Israeli forces as West Bank fields set ablaze

Two young men were killed in the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus.Israeli forces have shot dead two Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank, after they attempted to extinguish fires on Palestinian farmland started by Israeli settlers, according to local reports.Palestinian officials told Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, that Israeli forces in the area opened fire and injured four Palestinians in the nearby town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus. It was not clear if settlers or soldiers opened fire on the Palestinians.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Palestine weekly: Ahead of elections, Israel doubles down on attackslist 2 of 3Settlers attack Palestinian towns in occupied West Banklist 3 of 3More than 4,200 Israelis storm Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalemend of listTwo of the men later died from their injuries, and Israel has withheld their bodies.Yousef Hanani, the mayor of Beit Furik, said the town’s residents had attempted to extinguish flames in surrounding agricultural fields when they were attacked by Israeli soldiers and settlers.Israel claimed that a group of Palestinians set fire to the farmland and attacked a group of settlers from the Derech Avraham outpost, near the illegal Elon Moreh settlement.An Israeli man was stabbed in the incident and airlifted to hospital, according to the Israeli military report.Local security and political sources insisted that the Palestinians were attempting to put out fires started by the settlers when they were attacked, Wafa reported.Hanani said Israeli forces had sealed all entrances to Beit Furik and deployed a large number of soldiers and settlers to the surrounding area. The clampdown left dozens of Palestinians trapped in the town.Hanani said Israeli forces forced one family to evacuate their home near the scene after assaulting the homeowner.