Israeli troops fatally shot a Palestinian couple and two of their young children in the occupied West Bank on Friday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. The family's car came under fire in the town of Tammum, near Tubas in the northern West Bank, while a joint operation by the Israeli army and border police was underway in the area, the BBC reports. Israeli authorities said the vehicle drove toward their forces, who said they felt their lives were in danger and opened fire.
"As a result, four Palestinians in the vehicle were killed," a joint military and police statement said, adding that an investigation has begun. No Israeli casualties were reported. The Palestinian health ministry identified the dead as parents Ali and Waad Bani Odeh and two of their children, 5-year-old Mohammed and 7-year-old Othman. All four arrived at the hospital with gunshot wounds to the head and face, the ministry said. Two other children, 8 and 11, were also in the car and sustained shrapnel injuries, according to Palestinian officials. The people of Tammum "are experiencing deep sorrow over what happened to the family," its mayor said.
The members of the Odeh family were the latest casualties in the West Bank, per the AP, where Israeli settlers and soldiers previously shot and killed at least eight Palestinians since the start of the Iran war. Israeli authorities have restricted movement across the West Bank, intermittently closing hundreds of gates and checkpoints on roads used by residents, ambulances, and commercial traffic.
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