Israel forces kill five Palestinians in a day in Gaza

Israeli forces have killed two more Palestinians near the city of al-Khalil (Hebron) in southern West Bank as the Palestinian death toll in the ongoing violence in the occupied territories rises.

Israeli media claimed on Tuesday that the two Palestinians had been killed following attempted knife attacks.

Earlier in the day, Israeli forces shot and killed another Palestinian youth during clashes along the border in the besieged Gaza Strip amid intensification of violence against Palestinians.

According to Palestinian media, the man was killed while five other Gazans sustained injuries.

Also on Tuesday, Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank during renewed clashes between the two sides.

The fresh violence comes as UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday made an unannounced visit to al-Quds (Jerusalem) in a bid to calm the rising tensions in the occupied territories.

“My visit reflects the sense of global alarm at the dangerous escalation in violence between Israelis and Palestinians,” Ban told journalists after meeting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, warning, “If we do not act fast, the dynamics on the ground will only get worse.”

He also called for the resumption of talks between Israel and Palestinians.

The UN chief is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later Tuesday and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday.

The latest wave of tensions was triggered by the Israeli regime’s imposition in August of restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Palestinians are also angry at increasing violence by illegal Israeli settlers, who frequently storm al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina. They say the Tel Aviv regime seeks to change the status quo of the compound.

The Israeli regime has rejected a proposal for international observers to be deployed at the al-Aqsa compound.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health says that nearly 50 Palestinians have been killed across the occupied territories since the beginning of October. Eight Israelis are also said to have died.