JERUSALEM — Israeli troops shot and killed two Palestinians after they rammed their cars into soldiers in separate attacks in the West Bank on Friday as the country’s defense minister urged Israelis to brace themselves for more violence, saying he cannot see an end to the near-daily Palestinian attacks.
Friday’s attacks, in which at least eight Israeli soldiers were injured, were the latest in over two months of bloodshed that erupted over tensions at a sensitive holy site in Jerusalem, sacred to Jews and Muslims, and quickly escalated and spread to the West Bank, Israel and the Gaza border.
Since mid-September, 19 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, mostly stabbings and shootings. At least 96 Palestinians have also died, including 61 said by Israel to be attackers. The others died in clashes with Israeli forces.
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon told Israelis to be prepared for more attacks by Palestinians.
“This terror wave will accompany us in the coming days, the coming weeks and maybe longer than that,” Yaalon said at a conference in the Red Sea resort of Eilat.