RAMALLAH, Palestine 

At least two Palestinians were killed and two others injured Saturday by Israeli army fire near the Salem military checkpoint in the northern occupied West Bank, according to local media. 

Israeli forces shot at a group of young Palestinians near the permanently staffed checkpoint, killing 22-year-old Mustafa Sultan Abed from the nearby village of Kafr Dan and 21-year-old Ahmad Mohammad Shawahneh of Silat al-Harithiya village, while injuring two others, official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

"Heavily-armed soldiers" prevented ambulances from reaching the area to recover the bodies of Abed and Shawahneh, the agency added.

For its part, the Israeli army confirmed that its soldiers had killed two Palestinians for allegedly "firing on a military site in the northern West Bank."

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation said a third Palestinian fled the scene after being injured, without providing further details.

Tensions have been high across the occupied West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which killed more than 34,300 people following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Nearly 491 Palestinians have since been killed and over 4,800 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.  

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi