Ramallah: Four Palestinians, including two children, were killed early Sunday when Israeli special forces opened fire on a vehicle in the town of Tammun in the West Bank, Palestine Red Crescent Society said.
In a press statement, the Red Crescent added that its crews retrieved the bodies of the four victims from the vehicle hit by gunfire.
Local sources said the victims were from the same family.
The sources added that Israeli special forces had been pursuing two young men in one of the town’s neighbourhoods before opening fire on the passing vehicle.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army regarding the incident.
The town of Tammun and other areas in the nearby city of Tubas have been witnessing almost daily raids by the Israeli army.
Israel often describes such raids in the West Bank as “counter-terrorism operations” targeting individuals associated with Palestinian armed groups.
The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service said that Ali and Waed Odeh, and two of their four children, were shot in the head.
The Odehs’ two surviving children had shrapnel wounds that were examined by first responders once they were granted access, the group said, accusing Israel of delaying ambulances dispatched to the site.
Israel’s military and police said in a joint statement on Sunday that forces opened fire after a car accelerated toward them in Tammun.
They said that the forces were pursuing suspects accused of “terrorist activity” and that the shooting was under investigation.
The toll is lower than at this point in 2025 — a record year for violence that began with Israel invading northern West Bank cities that the military said were militant strongholds. Israeli forces still maintain a presence there.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has recorded 18 Palestinians killed in the West Bank since the start of 2026, including eight by Israeli settlers.
Despite a ceasefire that began in October, Israel has continued occasional airstrikes and drone attacks in western parts of Gaza outside the Israeli military perimeter.
According to Palestinian figures, about 660 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,700 wounded during the ceasefire period in shootings or airstrikes.
Overall, Palestinian authorities say more than 72,200 people in Gaza have been killed and about 171,800 injured in Israeli attacks since Israel launched its offensive following the October 7, 2023, assault by Hamas-led militants on Israeli territory.
Nearly 1,200 people were killed in that attack.
Israeli attacks on Gaza decreased at the beginning of the war against Iran that started at the end of February, but have since increased again.
(IANS)
