Two Israelis killed in West Bank car wash shooting

HUWARA, Palestinian Territories — Two Israelis were killed in a suspected shooting in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, the army and medics said, the latest deaths in an upsurge of bloodshed in the territory.

"A suspected shooting attack was carried out at a number of Israeli civilians in the area of the town of Huwara," an army statement said, adding that two civilians had been killed.

In a statement, the Magen David Adom emergency service said it had been called to a car wash in the Palestinian town of Huwara shortly after 3:00pm (1200 GMT).

An AFP correspondent saw streaks of blood on the floor of the car wash, as Israeli forces and soldiers gathered at the scene.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the army had closed key entrances to the main northern West Bank city of Nablus, and that soldiers were forcing businesses to close as they searched for the suspected attackers.

Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif Al Qanou said the attack was the “result of the resistance’s continuous promise to defend our people and respond to the crimes of the occupation”.

Earlier on Saturday, a Palestinian died from wounds sustained during an Israeli raid on the Balata refugee camp near Nablus earlier this week.

On Thursday, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian militant during a raid in Jenin, also in the northern West Bank.

At least 218 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli occupation forces this year.