JERUSALEM, March 15 - Palestinian health authorities reported that Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, including two young children, during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Sunday. The casualties included a mother and a father, aged 35 and 37, and two of their children, ages 5 and 7, according to the health ministry. Two additional children from the same household were reported to have sustained injuries.
The incident took place in the West Bank village of Tammun. The Palestinian Health Ministry separately said that one Palestinian was killed in a settler attack overnight on Saturday.
In response to the reports of the raid, the Israeli military said it was looking into the accounts of the fatalities.
Rights organizations and medical personnel cited by Palestinian authorities say that Israeli settlers in the West Bank have been using restrictions on movement - imposed in the context of the war on Iran - to carry out attacks on Palestinians. Those same groups and medics argue that military roadblocks have impeded ambulances from reaching victims quickly, exacerbating the humanitarian consequences of violent incidents.
The Palestinian health ministry also reported that settlers have killed at least five Palestinians in the West Bank since February 28, a period that began when the United States and Israel started airstrikes against Iran, according to the ministry's tally.
Context and immediate developments
- The reported fatalities in Tammun include two parents and two children; two other children in the household were wounded.
- Authorities say a separate settler attack overnight on Saturday resulted in one additional Palestinian death.
- The Israeli military has indicated it will investigate the reports concerning the raid.
Reporting parties emphasize the role of movement restrictions and checkpointing in limiting emergency medical response times. These claims are made by rights groups and medics cited by Palestinian health authorities.