Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in clashes near a flashpoint religious site in the occupied West Bank overnight Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry said.
The health ministry said Raid Hamdan, 21, and Zaid Nouri, 20, died after being shot late Tuesday by Israeli troops near the Joseph's Tomb religious site close to the Palestinian city of Nablus.
The military says explosive devices were hurled on Wednesday morning at soldiers securing Jewish worshippers at Joseph's Tomb in Nablus.
"Troops responded with live fire towards the vehicle."
There were no reports of injuries on the Israeli side.
The site is venerated by Muslims, Christians, and Jews and has often been a source of tension in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Palestinian Muslims believe an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Youssef (Joseph) Dweikat, was buried there two centuries ago.
Jews believe the site contains the remains of the biblical patriarch Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob.
It is located near a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank, the territory occupied by Israel for more than 50 years.
The Israeli army regularly escorts groups of Jewish pilgrims to the site, often sparking clashes.
