Sharjah24 - AFP: Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian men at a military post near the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, the army and Palestinian media reported.

The incident occurred when several militants arrived in a vehicle and fired at soldiers stationed at the Salem military post at the entrance to Jenin, the army said in a statement.

"The soldiers, who were pre-positioned due to several similar past incidents, eliminated two terrorists," the army said.

Palestinian official news agency Wafa said Israeli forces killed Mustafa Sultan Ahmed, 22, and Ahmed Muhammad Shawahna, 21, at the military post, adding that two others were wounded and hospitalised.

Wafa said Israeli forces withheld their bodies after denying medics access to them.

Israeli forces regularly carry out raids in and around Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp, a hub of militant groups.

The West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has seen a surge in violence for more than a year, particularly since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on October 7.

At least 490 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers across the West Bank since October 7, according to Palestinian officials.

The Gaza Strip has been at war since Hamas and other Palestinian militants carried out an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7.

That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, including Israelis and foreigners, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory offensive on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip has killed at least 34,356 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to the territory's health ministry.