Israeli forces kill four Palestinians in West Bank

Israel prepares to deploy international force in Gaza in May

WEST BANK: Israeli forces martyred four Palestinians, including a mother, father and two children, as they drove in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, Palestinian health authorities said.

A mother and father, ages 35 and 37, and two of their children, ages 5 and 7, were shot in the head in the village of Tammun, while two of their other children sustained injuries, Palestinian health authorities.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.

The Palestinian Health Ministry also said one Palestinian was killed in an attack by settlers overnight.

Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank are taking advantage of curbs on movement imposed during the US-Israeli war on Iran to attack Palestinians, with military roadblocks preventing ambulances from reaching victims quickly, rights groups and medics say.

Settlers have killed at least five Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the Iran war began on February 28, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Meanwhile,  Israel is preparing to deploy an international force in the Gaza Strip starting in May as part of the next phase of a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump.

The force, expected to include about 5,000 troops from Indonesia, along with dozens of soldiers from Kazakhstan, Morocco, Albania, and Kosovo, could begin operating on May 1.

The troops would initially deploy around a Palestinian city being built with support from the United Arab Emirates in the Rafah area in southern Gaza before expanding to other parts of the enclave.

The broadcaster said military delegations from participating countries are expected to arrive in Israel within two weeks to conduct reconnaissance tours in Gaza ahead of the force’s deployment.

The force would later expand its presence inside areas near what Israeli media refer to as the “yellow line,” a provisional boundary inside Gaza where Israeli forces temporarily withdrew under the ceasefire agreement separating Israeli-controlled zones from areas where Palestinians are allowed to stay.

Hundreds of foreign troops are expected to travel to Jordan next month for training before entering Gaza as part of the international force.

On February 9, the Israeli broadcaster reported that preparations had begun for the arrival of thousands of Indonesian soldiers as part of the stabilisation force envisioned in Trump’s plan for ending the Gaza war. Monitoring Desk