Israeli soldiers kill 55-year-old Palestinian and teenager in West Bank

Military claims young driver 'accelerated' towards soldiers at checkpoint in Hebron

Israeli soldiers take positions during a military operation in the occupied West Bank. AFP

Israeli soldiers shot and killed a teenage Palestinian driver and a bystander in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, an Israeli security official said.

The Israeli military said the motorist had "accelerated" towards soldiers at a checkpoint in Hebron, resulting in an "uninvolved person" being hit.

In an earlier statement, the military said two "terrorists" were killed when soldiers opened fire but it later confirmed only one was involved.

An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a 17 year old was driving the car and a 55 year old was the bystander.

Palestinian state news agency Wafa reported Ziad Naim Abu Dawood, 55, a municipal street cleaner, was killed while working. It said another Palestinian was killed.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the driver as 17-year-old Ahmed Khalil Al Rajabi. The Israeli military did not report any injuries to soldiers.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and violence in the territory has soared since Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.

It has not stopped despite a fragile truce between Israel and Hamas that came into effect in October.

Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians have risen sharply, while the military has tightened movement restrictions and carried out sweeping raids in several cities.

Since January, 51 Palestinians under 18 have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces, the Palestinian Health Ministry says.

Palestinians have also carried out attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians, some of them deadly.