Israeli Forces Kill 2 Palestinians in West Bank Raid

Israeli soldiers patrol near the West Bank city of Tulkarm where two Palestinians were reportedly killed during clashes with Israeli forces on October 5, 2023. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
Israeli soldiers patrol near the West Bank city of Tulkarm where two Palestinians were reportedly killed during clashes with Israeli forces on October 5, 2023. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
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Israeli Forces Kill 2 Palestinians in West Bank Raid

Israeli soldiers patrol near the West Bank city of Tulkarm where two Palestinians were reportedly killed during clashes with Israeli forces on October 5, 2023. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
Israeli soldiers patrol near the West Bank city of Tulkarm where two Palestinians were reportedly killed during clashes with Israeli forces on October 5, 2023. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in a car and detained two others during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Monday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, without immediately providing further details.

Asked about the overnight incident in Qalqilya, an Israeli military spokesperson said "there was counter-terrorism activity there" and that further details would be published later, Reuters reported.

The West Bank has seen surging violence in parallel to Israel's eight-week-old war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, another territory where Palestinians seek statehood.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.