Israeli settler shooting kills two Palestinian brothers in the occupied West Bank

Jerusalem — Two Palestinian brothers were killed by Israeli settler gunfire in the occupied West Bank on Monday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, as settler violence escalated in the region and Israel intensified its military presence as new fighting spread across the region.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health identified the victims as Mohammed and Faheem Mo’mar. Mohammed was shot in the head and Faheem was hit in the hip. He was killed in his village of Kraut in the northern West Bank. B’Tselem, a prominent Israeli rights group, said three others, including a third brother, were wounded by gunfire.

The group said ambulances could not reach the wounded for more than an hour due to the checkpoint closure Israel has imposed on the territory since the start of the latest war. Israel says the closure is temporary and a security measure. But the Palestinians say they stifle movement on the territory, with deadly consequences.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Monday’s shootings bring to three the number of Palestinians killed by settler violence this year and the highest since Feb.

Palestinian media and B’Tselem posted videos to social media showing a group of about 10 settlers standing next to a Palestinian home in Qaryout. A settler can be seen aiming his rifle at the top floor of a house. Another video shows Palestinians rushing a bleeding man to medical attention.

The injured were brought to a hospital in the central West Bank city of Nablus, where The Associated Press filmed men grieving over the body of a brother. Villagers helped doctors drag bloody bodies onto operating tables and cover the dead and wounded with blankets.

Adham Zohari, who lives in the village, told the AP that he saw a settler using a bulldozer on the edge of town and fled when he saw Palestinian youths approaching him.

“After 10 minutes, more than 10 settlers attacked nearby houses. Young residents tried to defend the area, and random firing was carried out on the youth and the entire area,” he said.

Palestinians and rights groups say Israeli authorities routinely fail to prosecute settlers or hold them accountable for violence. The UN humanitarian office said last year it recorded the highest daily average of settler attacks causing death, injury or property damage – five – since it began recording such incidents in 2006.

COGAT, the military agency responsible for managing the territory, said on Saturday that crossings in the West Bank and Gaza were closed for security reasons. Palestinians in the West Bank say movement restrictions have made it difficult to access services, blocking some villages from urban areas with hospitals and shops.