SAFA - Two Palestinians were killed shortly after midnight after Israeli settlers, backed by Israeli occupation forces, attacked the town of Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah, in the latest escalation of settler violence across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the victims as 53-year-old Odeh Abdul Rahim Odeh Farakhneh and 26-year-old Ahmad Adel Rashid Abu Makhou. Both were shot and killed by Israeli forces during the attack.

Earlier, three Palestinians were critically injured when Israeli settlers stormed the town.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its crews initially treated a man who sustained a critical abdominal injury after being assaulted by settlers. He was transferred by ambulance from the nearby town of Silwad to a hospital for emergency treatment.

The society later reported two more critically injured Palestinians, including a 55-year-old man who required cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while being transported to hospital due to the severity of his injuries.

Local sources also said Israeli occupation forces opened fire on an ambulance carrying one of the wounded Palestinians to hospital. The attack is part of a continuing wave of settler assaults targeting Palestinian communities across the occupied West Bank.

Earlier the same day, Israeli settlers raided the Bedouin community of Halq al-Rummanah near Jericho, releasing their livestock among residents' homes in what local residents described as an act of intimidation.

Palestinian towns and villages throughout the occupied West Bank have witnessed a sharp rise in settler violence in recent months. The attacks have included physical assaults on residents, shootings, arson targeting homes and property, and repeated attacks on agricultural land and livestock.