RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories, July 24, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The Palestinian Authority on Thursday said Israeli troops killed two Palestinian teens overnight in the occupied West Bank, with Israel's army confirming the deaths but saying its forces targeted people throwing firebombs. 

"The General Authority of Civil Affairs informed the Ministry of Health of the martyrdom of Ahmad Ali Asaad Ashira al-Salah (15 years old) and Mohammad Khaled Aliyan Issa (17 years old), killed by (Israeli) gunfire last night, Wednesday, in the town of al-Khader, south of Bethlehem," said the agency, which is affiliated with the Palestinian Authority.

The Israeli army confirmed the report to AFP, saying its forces had killed two people from a group of "several terrorists". 

"During an (Israeli army) operation adjacent to the area of Al-Khader... soldiers identified several terrorists hurling Molotov cocktails toward a central highway in the area," it added. 

"The soldiers responded with fire toward the terrorists, eliminating two of them."

Violence has surged in the West Bank since the beginning of the war in Gaza, sparked by an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023. 

At least 960 Palestinians -- including militants and civilians -- have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian Authority data.
 
In the same time period, at least 36 Israelis -- including civilians and security forces -- have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations there, according to official Israeli figures.