CAIRO - Israeli settlers killed two Palestinians on Monday in the occupied West Bank province of Nablus, Salah Bani Jaber, the mayor of Aqraba, told Reuters.

"About 50 settlers, a large number of them armed, attacked the residents of Khirbet al-Tawil village east of Aqraba in the province of Nablus. They opened fire on the youth and this led to the death of two of the youth and the injury of others,” the mayor said.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank since Israel launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Palestinian Health Ministry records show at least 460 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces, or settlers, since the start of the Gaza war.

In the same period, at least 13 Israelis, among them two members of Israeli forces, have been killed by Palestinians in the West Bank, according to an Israeli tally. REUTERS