The IDF is investigating two West Bank incidents in which Israeli soldiers shot dead four Palestinians in less than 24 hours.
Military sources said the two Palestinians who were shot on Saturday in the village of Iraq Burin, near Nablus, were apparently killed by live Israel Defense Forces fire, contrary to the IDF's initial claim that only rubber bullets were used.
IDF doctors met with Nablus hospital doctors Sunday night to examine X-rays of one of the men killed in Iraq Burin, which the Palestinians said show that a live bullet had penetrated his head.
IDF sources said however it was not certain the bullet was a 5.56 mm., the kind used by the IDF, or a 7.62 mm., used by Palestinian security forces.
They also said it was not verified the X-ray was of the Palestinian who was killed in this incident or of someone else.
The Central Command intends to appoint a team of specialists to investigate the incident.
If it turns out that both Palestinians were shot with live ammunition, the Military Police will open an investigation, the sources said.
The officers and soldiers at the site said they had only fired rubber-coated bullets.
Elsewhere, the IDF said the sergeant who shot dead two Palestinians farmers in Awerta really felt his life was in danger when they attacked him with a bottle and a syringe. Soldiers nearby confirmed this.
But Palestinian Authority officials accused Israel of killing the two Palestinian youths in cold blood after they had been arrested on Sunday.
They said Israel was escalating tensions to thwart U.S. efforts to resume the peace talks in the region.
Palestinian government spokesman Ghassan Khatib called for an independent investigation into the deaths of 19-year-old cousins Mohammed Koarik and Salah Koarik.
The Central Command admitted yesterday that the shooting was "a regrettable incident" and should not have ended in killing two Palestinians. Officers said it could be difficult to obtain the "full picture" of what had happened because the sergeant who shot the victims and his three soldiers are the only witnesses.
Military sources commended the PA's efforts to prevent a wider conflagration and praised the security coordination between the sides.