Four Palestinians shot dead in West Bank: Security sources

Four Palestinians were killed in the West Bank on Friday in two separate incidents involving both Israeli troops and Israeli settlers, Palestinian security sources said.

In the first incident, 46-year-old Hashem Abu Marieh and 30-year-old Sultan Yusef were killed in the Palestinian village of Beit Ummar near the flashpoint southern city of Hebron by Israeli soldiers, Palestinian security sources said.

In the second incident, a group of settlers opened fire on protesting Palestinians after they threw stones at their car near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, Palestinian security sources said.

The settler fire killed an 18-year-old Palestinian named as Khaled Oudeh.

Shortly afterwards, Israeli troops arrived at the scene and clashed with the Palestinians, firing live bullets and tear gas.

The Israeli army fire killed a second Palestinian, 22-year-old Tayyib Oudeh, the security sources said, adding that three other Palestinians were injured by live fire.

An Israeli army spokeswoman had no comment on the incident in Beit Ummar, but said there had been “confrontations” between Israeli troops and Palestinians near Nablus “in which settlers were involved,” without giving further details.

Israeli army radio reported that a female settler has opened fire in in the incident near Nablus, killing Khaled Oudeh.