People gather at the scene where two Palestinian militants were killed during clashes with Israeli forces in a raid, in Nablus in the West Bank, July 24, 2022. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta

i24 News – Two Palestinians were killed early Thursday in separate clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank, according to local media.

In the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, in the northern West Bank, armed clashes erupted after Israeli troops entered to arrest wanted people.

A Palestinian, identified as Samer Khaled from nearby Ein Beit al-Ma’ refugee camp, was shot in the neck and died of his wounds, Palestinian media reported.

The Israeli army said that fire from Palestinian militants caused the death of the person in the Balata camp.

Reports indicate that a second Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes in the town of al-Bireh near Ramallah. He was identified as Yazan Afaneh, from the nearby Qalandiya refugee camp, north of Jerusalem.

Tensions have recently escalated in the West Bank amid Operation “Break the Wave,” launched by Israeli forces amid a spate of terrorist attacks in the spring that killed 19 people.

Three Palestinians involved in shootings near a West Bank settlement, along with six other suspects were arrested in counter-terrorism raids on Wednesday.