The Israeli military said on Thursday that its troops shot dead two gunmen who were planning a terrorist attack in the West Bank, but did not provide evidence.

Earlier in the day, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said Israeli settlers in the West Bank continued serious acts of violence against Palestinians. On Thursday afternoon, Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the town of Deir Istiya, in the northern part of the West Bank.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said October was the worst for settler violence since the UN began recording the phenomenon in 2006. Last month, Israeli settlers carried out at least 264 attacks on Palestinians and Palestinian property, it said.

The attacks have prompted Israeli leaders to make a commitment to stop settler violence in the West Bank. However, the Palestinian leaders accused the Israeli authorities of being behind or giving the green light to settler attacks on Palestinians.