Israeli forces kill five Palestinians in West Bank

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories —  Israeli forces shot dead four Palestinians in the occupied West Bank Tuesday, Palestinian officials said, and a suspected car-ramming attacker was killed after wounding an Israeli soldier, Israeli medics and the army said.

Israeli forces confirmed its troops had fired on "rioters" who attacked soldiers in two separate incidents in the West Bank overnight.

A 20-year-old woman soldier was "moderately injured and evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment" following a suspected car-ramming north of Jerusalem, according to Israeli forces. Medics confirmed the alleged attacker had been killed.

The West Bank has suffered spiralling violence this year, with near daily Israeli raids leading to scores of deaths.

In Kafr Ein, near Ramallah, two brothers were killed by Israeli fire, the Palestinian health ministry said. 

A third man died of bullet wounds to the head fired by Israeli forces in Beit Ummar, while a fourth Palestinian died after being shot in the chest by Israeli soldiers on Tuesday afternoon during confrontations north of Ramallah, the ministry said in separate statements.

Palestinian news agency Wafa named the man killed near Ramallah as Raed Ghazi Al Naasan.

On Monday, the United Nations envoy for Middle East peace, Tor Wennesland, warned the situation in the West Bank was “reaching a boiling point”.

“High levels of violence in the occupied West Bank and Israel in recent months, including attacks against Israeli and Palestinian civilians, increased use of arms and settler-related violence, have caused grave human suffering,” he told the Security Council.

The UN says more than 125 Palestinians have been killed across the West Bank this year.

Tuesday’s violence came as veteran hawk Benjamin Netanyahu continued negotiations to form what could be the most right-wing government in Israel’s history, following a general election earlier this month.

On Friday, Netanyahu signed an agreement with lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir that promised the far-right firebrand the new post of national security minister, with responsibility for the border police in the West Bank.

Ben-Gvir, known for anti-Arab rhetoric, has repeatedly called on soldiers to use more force when confronting Palestinian unrest.