RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories, July 7, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The Palestinian Health Ministry said that two men were shot dead on Sunday by the Israeli army near the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

Qusai Nasser Mahmud Nassar, 23, and Wissam Ghassan Hassan Shtayyeh, 37, "were shot and killed by the (Israeli) occupation forces on Sunday afternoon in the village of Salem, east of Nablus", the ministry said in a statement.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli army did not immediately comment.

Violence in the West Bank has surged since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, triggered by the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.

Since then, Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank have killed at least 949 Palestinians -- many of them militants, but also scores of civilians -- according to Palestinian health ministry figures.

At least 35 Israelis, including both civilians and security forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to Israeli official figures.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.