2 More Palestinians Killed in Occupied Territories

Israeli soldiers raided the Palestinian village of Umm al-Hayran in the Negev desert early on Wednesday to demolish a number of Palestinian houses there, prompting fierce scuffles with local residents.

The regime claimed the houses were being built without Israeli-issued permits.

Israeli troops fired tear gas canisters, stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Two villagers were fatally shot, and four others sustained gunshot wounds.

Ayman Odeh, a Palestinian member of the Israeli parliament (Knesset) that currently serves as the head of the Arab-dominated political alliance Joint List, was shot in the head and injured during the melee.

Odeh was taken to Suruka hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheva to receive medical treatment.

Palestinian sources later identified one of the fatalities as Yaqoub Moussa Abu al-Qayaan. They said Qayaan was shot dead as he sought to prevent Israeli military forces from entering Umm al-Hayran.

The development came only a few hours after Israeli forces carried out an attack on the Qalandiya refugee camp north of Jerusalem al-Quds.

Reports say the Israeli soldiers used tear gas and live bullets as clashes broke out between residents and the troops inside the camp.