Tension is still very high in the West Bank, two days after the death of a young Israeli shepherd which led to renewed violence. Two young Palestinians were shot dead Monday in the north of the occupied Palestinian territory after clashes with Israeli settlers, the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry said.
The two victims, aged 21 and 30, were killed in the locality of Khirbet al-Tawil, a hamlet outside Aqraba, a commune located about fifteen kilometers southeast of Nablus. On March 19, a Palestinian was killed in front of his home in the same town. The mayor of the town blamed an attack by Israeli settlers while the Israeli army suggested that one of its soldiers was behind the fatal shot. The death this weekend of an Israeli teenager murdered in unknown circumstances in the territory provoked major reprisals from settlers who attacked villages, burned Palestinian homes and cars over the weekend. At least 468 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers since the start of the war.