Mohammed Mahmoud Abu Ayash and Bilal Bahaa Baran.
The Palestinian health ministry said the teenagers—Bilal Bahaa Ali Baaran and Muhammad Mahmud Abu Ayash—were killed near Beit Ummar, north of Hebron.
Israeli occupation forces later seized their bodies and declared the area a closed military zone, according to Palestinian officials.
Local media activist Muhammad Awad said Israeli forces have stepped up raids and harassment of Palestinian farmers in the area, which borders the settlement. He said residents are frequently beaten or detained in what Palestinians view as attempts to pressure communities and expand settlement control.
The killings came hours after Israeli settlers vandalised the Hajja Hamida Mosque, located between Deir Istiya and Kafr Haris in the central West Bank. Palestinians said settlers sprayed racist graffiti and attempted to set the mosque on fire, the latest in a string of attacks they say are aimed at forcing them off their land.
Last week, Israeli forces killed three Palestinian teenagers in another West Bank village, part of a rising toll since Israel's genocidal war in Gaza began in October 2023.
The Palestinian health ministry says at least 1,003 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank during that period by Israeli forces or settlers. Israeli officials say 43 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in attacks in the territory.
UN agencies have reported a sharp increase in settler violence alongside Israeli military operations. The UN humanitarian office documented more than 260 settler attacks in October alone—the highest monthly figure since it began keeping records in 2006—contributing to the displacement of entire and partial Palestinian communities across the West Bank.
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