Ramallah, June 4 (IANS): Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli army gunfire in the West Bank city of Tulkarm on Tuesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement.

The victims were identified as Abdel Fattah Jabara and Ahmed Rajab, the ministry said, without providing further details of the incident.

A Palestinian security source told Xinhua news agency that both Jabara and Rajab were from the refugee camp of the city and their bodies were seized by Israeli forces.

The source, who requires anonymity, said that Israeli forces opened fire on the vehicles at a military checkpoint west of the city, obstructing ambulances from reaching the scene.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that the Israeli army killed two gunmen in the Tulkarm area during an exchange of fire as they approached the security fence with the aim of shooting towards Israeli residential communities.

More than 500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on October 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.