Two Palestinians assassinated in Bethlehem, 3 killed in Jenin

Israeli special army unites assassinated two Palestinians in Al-Obaydiya village east of Bethlehem in the early hours of Friday morning, Palestinian sources said.

Khaled 24, and Okla Shalyta 32, were shot dead by an Israeli undercover unit who sneaked into the village back by a large force consisting of 15 military vehicles in addition to a helicopter and a drone.

Troops, who were wearing civilian clothes, exchanged fire with the two Palestinians who are members of the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine, before rounding them up in a cave and killing them.

Local sources in the village said that one of the bodies was severely mutilated as the Israeli soldiers fired a missile into the cave where the two were hiding.

The two were released from an Israeli jail few months ago and soon they were claimed wanted by the Israeli military.  An Israeli military spokesperson claimed that the two are involved in planning a shoot out at an Israeli military checkpoint near the West Bank village of Sheikh Sa’ad wounding three Israeli soldiers.

Mourning was declared in Bethlehem district in protest of the assassination and Al-Quds brigade, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad said they will revenge this assassination.

“The blood of the Martyrs will not go in vein, and the crime will not pass without punishment,” stated a press release by the movement.

In a separate incident, three Palestinians were killed in Deir Abu D’eif village near the northern West Bank city of Jenin in an explosion in swimming pool, on Friday morning.

The three were identified as Shadi Yassen, 28, Adnan Darghma, 25, and Mallek Yassen, 20.  Reasons behind the explosion remain unknown.

Palestinian Police said it will open an investigation into the incident.