Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinians near the West Bank town of Tulkarm on Tuesday, Israeli military sources said.
The military sources said the soldiers shot at the men`s car after they ignored warning shots and tried to drive through an army checkpoint. "In the end they (the soldiers) shot at the car and killed two Palestinians," one source said.
A Palestinian witness from a village close to the checkpoint gave a different account. Rajla Khalil, a resident of the nearby Jaroushiyeh village, said she saw troops chase two men into an olive grove on foot and then heard gunshots.
"We left the house and saw two men running towards an olive grove and soldiers following them on foot. After a while we heard more shots and we saw the soldiers dragging one of the men and carrying the other man," she said.
The army closed the area and Palestinian medics said they did not have access to the bodies. Israel has encircled Palestinian cities and set up checkpoints across the West Bank and Gaza Strip since the start of a Palestinian uprising against occupation in September 2000 shortly after peace talks stalled.
Bureau Report
