RAMALLAH — Two Palestinians, among them a 14-year-old boy, have been shot and killed at a school in the Israeli-occupied West Bank amid an attack by Israeli settlers, witnesses said, while in Gaza health officials said two Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes. A video from the scene shows a man in military fatigues armed with a rifle advancing slowly on the village of Al-Mughayyir before crouching and firing at least eight rounds toward the school. Activists said the man was a known settler who has attacked the village in the past. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said two Palestinians were killed and four others were wounded by Israeli settler gunfire in al-Mughayyir village near Ramallah. The Palestinian health ministry identified the two Palestinians killed as Aws Al-Naasan, 14, and Jihad Abu Naim, 32, a parent at the school. The killings are among a spate of attacks on Palestinian schools or schoolchildren in the West Bank in recent days, which have seen a school building razed to the ground and, in a separate incident, settlers putting up razor wire to block children as young as five from getting to school. Bassam Abu-Assaf, the principal of the all-boys school that came under fire, said at least five armed settlers had approached the village of Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, around noon. Some of the students were outside in the schoolyard when the gunfire began, he added. Amin Abu Ulaya, head of the local council, told Reuters that settlers and soldiers had entered the village and opened fire at the school, first against the students and later others who arrived at the scene. The Israeli military said forces were deployed to the al‑Mughayyir area after reports that stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle carrying civilians and a reserve soldier, who exited the car and opened fire at “suspects” in the area. Upon arrival, soldiers worked to disperse what the military described as a violent confrontation. The military said it was aware of claims that two Palestinians were killed and others were wounded, adding that the incident was under review. “This led to the killing of a student and another person,” said Abu Ulaya, describing scenes of panic in the village as parents raced to the school in search of their children. The shooting in al-Mughayyir, about 25 kilometres (16 miles) north of Ramallah, is the latest in what human rights groups have described as a surge in violence against Palestinians waged by Israeli settlers and soldiers. Kathem Al-Haj-Ahmed, 57, an al-Mughayyir resident, said the settlers arrived first, . Palestinians in the West Bank are frequently subjected to unprovoked attacks perpetrated by Israeli Jewish settlers. “This is our reality in al-Mughayyer village; they aim to displace us, and both the army and the settlers are exchanging roles among them,” he told Reuters. Some Israeli officials have condemned “Jewish rioters” in the West Bank while also saying that a fringe minority was behind the violence. Other officials have backed the settlers and called for expanding the settlements. The Israeli military claimed the incident had started after rocks were thrown at a vehicle carrying several Israeli passengers, including a reserve soldier, whom the military said, “exited the vehicle and opened fire at suspects in the area.” Video obtained by CNN shows the moment 14-year-old Aws, who was in ninth grade, was shot and killed. His friends can be seen rushing to him and carrying his body away. The second Palestinian killed, Abu Naim, was a parent at the school who lived nearby. He rushed to the school when he heard the gunshots, and was then shot himself, Abu-Assaf, the school principal said. “It was a disaster. Everybody was screaming. It was unbelievable. I’m still processing it. I don’t know how long it will take for the teachers and students to overcome the shock,” he said, adding that four others were injured, including students and parents. Videos from in front of the school show the streets splattered with blood, gunshots sounding in the distance, and a flurry of men — young and old — frantically running around and calling for help. Injured boys and men, one with an exposed and bloodied torso, are seen being carried away. The fatal shooting is the latest in a surge of increasingly brazen and violent attacks against Palestinians, waged by Israeli settlers and, at times, by soldiers as well. While the Israeli military frequently says it is investigating such incidents, it often fails to make any arrests or hold perpetrators accountable. In a separate incident, activists say settlers bulldozed a school in Hammamat al-Maleh in the northern Jordan Valley Monday evening, near the village of Tayasir, where a CNN team was detained and assaulted by soldiers last month. Even though the school was within sight of an Israeli military base, soldiers there made no attempt to prevent the demolition, the activists added. Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, health officials said on Tuesday that Israeli forces killed at least two Palestinians. Medics said a woman in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya area was killed by gunfire from an Israeli naval boat. The Israeli military said they were not aware of the incident. In another incident, a man was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the eastern side of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. An Israeli military spokesperson said the military had struck “terrorists” in the Khan Younis area and that more information would be released later. Three other Palestinians were also killed in the Khan Younis area overnight. On Tuesday, mourners arrived at hospitals in Gaza City and Khan Younis to pay farewell to those killed overnight, whose bodies were wrapped in white shrouds. Women wept and men performed prayers before the burials. The deaths were the latest violence to overshadow a US-brokered ceasefire deal signed last October after two years of full-blown war between Israel and the militant Islamist group Hamas. Progress has stalled on parts of the deal, which include the disarmament of Hamas and an Israeli army pullout. The ceasefire left Israeli troops in control of more than half of Gaza. Hamas controls a narrow coastal strip. — AgenciesRAMALLAH — Two Palestinians, among them a 14-year-old boy, have been shot and killed at a school in the Israeli-occupied West Bank amid an attack by Israeli settlers, witnesses said, while in Gaza health officials said two Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes. A video from the scene shows a man in military fatigues armed with a rifle advancing slowly on the village of Al-Mughayyir before crouching and firing at least eight rounds toward the school. Activists said the man was a known settler who has attacked the village in the past. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said two Palestinians were killed and four others were wounded by Israeli settler gunfire in al-Mughayyir village near Ramallah. The Palestinian health ministry identified the two Palestinians killed as Aws Al-Naasan, 14, and Jihad Abu Naim, 32, a parent at the school. The killings are among a spate of attacks on Palestinian schools or schoolchildren in the West Bank in recent days, which have seen a school building razed to the ground and, in a separate incident, settlers putting up razor wire to block children as young as five from getting to school. Bassam Abu-Assaf, the principal of the all-boys school that came under fire, said at least five armed settlers had approached the village of Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, around noon. Some of the students were outside in the schoolyard when the gunfire began, he added. Amin Abu Ulaya, head of the local council, told Reuters that settlers and soldiers had entered the village and opened fire at the school, first against the students and later others who arrived at the scene. The Israeli military said forces were deployed to the al‑Mughayyir area after reports that stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle carrying civilians and a reserve soldier, who exited the car and opened fire at “suspects” in the area. Upon arrival, soldiers worked to disperse what the military described as a violent confrontation. The military said it was aware of claims that two Palestinians were killed and others were wounded, adding that the incident was under review. “This led to the killing of a student and another person,” said Abu Ulaya, describing scenes of panic in the village as parents raced to the school in search of their children. The shooting in al-Mughayyir, about 25 kilometres (16 miles) north of Ramallah, is the latest in what human rights groups have described as a surge in violence against Palestinians waged by Israeli settlers and soldiers. Kathem Al-Haj-Ahmed, 57, an al-Mughayyir resident, said the settlers arrived first, . Palestinians in the West Bank are frequently subjected to unprovoked attacks perpetrated by Israeli Jewish settlers. “This is our reality in al-Mughayyer village; they aim to displace us, and both the army and the settlers are exchanging roles among them,” he told Reuters. Some Israeli officials have condemned “Jewish rioters” in the West Bank while also saying that a fringe minority was behind the violence. Other officials have backed the settlers and called for expanding the settlements. The Israeli military claimed the incident had started after rocks were thrown at a vehicle carrying several Israeli passengers, including a reserve soldier, whom the military said, “exited the vehicle and opened fire at suspects in the area.” Video obtained by CNN shows the moment 14-year-old Aws, who was in ninth grade, was shot and killed. His friends can be seen rushing to him and carrying his body away. The second Palestinian killed, Abu Naim, was a parent at the school who lived nearby. He rushed to the school when he heard the gunshots, and was then shot himself, Abu-Assaf, the school principal said. “It was a disaster. Everybody was screaming. It was unbelievable. I’m still processing it. I don’t know how long it will take for the teachers and students to overcome the shock,” he said, adding that four others were injured, including students and parents. Videos from in front of the school show the streets splattered with blood, gunshots sounding in the distance, and a flurry of men — young and old — frantically running around and calling for help. Injured boys and men, one with an exposed and bloodied torso, are seen being carried away. The fatal shooting is the latest in a surge of increasingly brazen and violent attacks against Palestinians, waged by Israeli settlers and, at times, by soldiers as well. While the Israeli military frequently says it is investigating such incidents, it often fails to make any arrests or hold perpetrators accountable. In a separate incident, activists say settlers bulldozed a school in Hammamat al-Maleh in the northern Jordan Valley Monday evening, near the village of Tayasir, where a CNN team was detained and assaulted by soldiers last month. Even though the school was within sight of an Israeli military base, soldiers there made no attempt to prevent the demolition, the activists added. Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, health officials said on Tuesday that Israeli forces killed at least two Palestinians. Medics said a woman in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya area was killed by gunfire from an Israeli naval boat. The Israeli military said they were not aware of the incident. In another incident, a man was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the eastern side of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. An Israeli military spokesperson said the military had struck “terrorists” in the Khan Younis area and that more information would be released later. Three other Palestinians were also killed in the Khan Younis area overnight. On Tuesday, mourners arrived at hospitals in Gaza City and Khan Younis to pay farewell to those killed overnight, whose bodies were wrapped in white shrouds. Women wept and men performed prayers before the burials. The deaths were the latest violence to overshadow a US-brokered ceasefire deal signed last October after two years of full-blown war between Israel and the militant Islamist group Hamas. Progress has stalled on parts of the deal, which include the disarmament of Hamas and an Israeli army pullout. The ceasefire left Israeli troops in control of more than half of Gaza. Hamas controls a narrow coastal strip. — Agencies
