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The Palestinian Authority said Thursday that Israeli soldiers had killed two 15-year-olds in the occupied West Bank, while Israel called them “terrorists” attempting to carry out an attack.Settler violence has surged in recent weeks across the West Bank, drawing international condemnation and even rare criticism from within the Israeli military and government.”A short while ago, IDF soldiers who were operating adjacent to the community of Karmei Zur, eliminated two terrorists who were on their way to carry out a terror attack,” the military said in a statement, without providing details.Palestinian authorities also did not provide any details.The deaths came as Israel said it had received the body of one of the last four hostages held in Gaza from the Red Cross on Thursday as part of the ceasefire deal with Hamas.It later said forensics experts had confirmed the body was that of  Meny Godard, killed at age 73 the day of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.Meanwhile, the Ramallah-based Palestinian foreign ministry said Israeli settlers set ablaze the Hajja Hamida mosque near the town of Deir Istiya in the north.”This blatantly violates the sanctity of places of worship and reflects the deep-rooted racism driving settlers under the protection of the occupying government,” the ministry said.AFP photographs from the scene showed burned copies of the Koran and walls blackened by smoke, and graffiti on a wall of the mosque. The Israeli military said security forces were dispatched to the scene following “a report and footage… regarding suspects who set fire to a mosque and sprayed graffiti”. In a statement, it said that no suspects were identified after a review of the incident, which was handed over to the Israeli police and security agency.”The IDF condemns any form of violence and will continue to operate to safeguard the security and order in the area,” it added.- ‘Red line’ -UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack, with his spokesman saying that “such acts of violence and desecration of religious sites are unacceptable”.”Such incidents are part of an increasing pattern of extremist violence that is inflaming tensions and must stop immediately,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.Thursday’s arson attack came a day after the Israeli army chief pledged to halt settler violence.”We are aware of the recent violent incidents in which Israeli civilians attacked Palestinians and Israelis. I strongly condemn them,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a statement.”These acts contradict our values, cross a red line and divert the attention of our troops from their mission,” he said.Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, where more than 500,000 Israelis now live in settlements.A minority of these Israelis engage in violence against Palestinians, who complain that Israeli forces usually do not arrest settlers.All settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.Earlier this month, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that October 2025 was the worst month for settler violence since it began recording in 2006, with at least 264 attacks that caused casualties or property damage.Almost none of the perpetrators have been held to account by the Israeli authorities.Violence has surged across the West Bank since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023.At least 1,003 Palestinians, including militants, have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers since the war started, according to the Palestinian health ministry.During the same period, 43 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank, according to official Israeli figures.

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and the United States shipped vast amounts of oil to Israel during its two-year Gaza offensive, according to a report by Oil Change International, which says the same fossil-fuel system driving climate change is also enabling “genocide.”Released at the UN climate summit in Brazil, the analysis titled “Behind the Barrel” found that 25 countries were responsible for 323 shipments of crude and refined petroleum products totaling 21.2 million tonnes between November 1, 2023, and October 1, 2025.Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan were by far the largest suppliers of crude, accounting for 70 percent of shipments.Russia, Greece and the United States were the top providers of refined petroleum products — with the US standing out as the sole supplier of JP-8, a jet-fuel blend designed for military aircraft.”States risk becoming complicit in genocide under international law, under the Genocide Convention,” Shady Khalil of Oil Change International told reporters. “As world leaders convene at COP 30, ‘Behind the Barrel’ reveals the deadly links between fossil fuel suppliers and international conflict.”The group commissioned research firm Data Desk to conduct the analysis.The conflict began in October 2023 when an attack by Islamist group Hamas killed 1,221 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.Israel’s retaliatory campaign has since killed more than 69,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, whose data is deemed reliable by the United Nations.Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza that has largely halted the war since October 10, though violent incidents continue to be reported, often with fatalities.A UN Commission has concluded Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, and the International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel’s continued presence in occupied Palestinian territory are unlawful.Irene Pietropaoli, a senior fellow in business and human rights at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, said in a statement that states were obliged to follow the ICJ’s interim order directing them to “prevent and punish genocide.””States must consider that their military or other assistance to Israel’s military operations in Gaza may put them at risk of being complicit in genocide under the Genocide Convention,” she said.Asked by AFP whether it was important to differentiate between oil for civilian versus military use, Ana Sanchez Mera, coordinator for the Global Energy Embargo for Palestine who was part of a panel discussion on the topic, said “it is one system of settler colonial occupation.”She gave the example of Israel’s electricity grid, which was partially powered by coal and connects both Israel and illegally occupied Palestinian lands.In August 2024, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that the country had formally suspended coal exports to Israel.While official data indicates Brazil last sent oil directly to Israel in March 2024, the head of the Rio de Janeiro Oil Workers Union has claimed Brazil may have rerouted shipments via Italy.