Israeli army kills 4 Palestinians in western Ramallah

RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Israeli army killed four Palestinians and injured eight others during a raid late Monday on the village of Kafr Ni'ma in western Ramallah in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said it was informed by the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs -- the Palestinian Authority's contact point with the Israeli side -- of the deaths of the four Palestinians.

It identified them as Mohammad Raslan Abdo, Mohammad Jaber Abdo and Rushdi Samih Ataya. The fourth person’s name was not disclosed.

The head of the village's council, Ra'fat Khalifa, told Anadolu that more than 50 Israeli military vehicles raided Kafr Ni'ma after Israeli special forces opened fire on a Palestinian vehicle in the village.

He added that Israeli forces also opened fire on people who tried to reach the vehicle to save those inside, injuring them in the process.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip after an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

At least 538 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,200 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara