BSS
  07 Nov 2025, 17:56

Israeli forces kill two West Bank teenagers accused of throwing firebombs

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories, Nov 7, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The Israeli military said Friday it had killed two suspects it said threw Molotov cocktails in the occupied West Bank village of Judeira overnight.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the dead as two 16-year-old boys.

"Last night... two terrorists were identified as they ignited and threw Molotov cocktails toward a main civilian route," in Judeira, north of Jerusalem, the military said in a statement.

It added that the military unit deployed in the area "eliminated" the individuals, a word Israeli officials generally use when suspects are killed.

The army published a surveillance camera video in which two individuals are seen throwing a burning object over a wall matching the appearance of the one separating the area near Judeira from a road used by Israelis.

Though located in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, Judeira is surrounded by roads and lands that are effectively annexed by Israel.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry identified the two individuals as Mohammed Ateem and Mohammed Qasim, both 16.

In a statement, the ministry added that the Israeli army had retrieved the two teenagers' bodies.

On Wednesday, the military killed another teenager who it said had thrown an explosive device at Israeli troops.

In a statement Friday, the military said it had killed three militants and arrested 60 "wanted individuals" this week in the occupied West Bank.

Violence in the West Bank has soared since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023.

At least 1,001 Palestinians, including militants, have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers since the start of the war in Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

During the same period, 43 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank, according to official Israeli figures.