A Palestinian attempted to stab Israeli soldiers at a junction near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank on Friday and was shot dead by security forces, the Israeli army said.
The incident occurred at the Gush Etzion junction near a large bloc of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. No soldiers were reported wounded.
“The Palestinian arrived at the scene armed with a knife and ran toward IDF soldiers. Forces fired shots at the assailant. No injuries to the IDF forces were reported,” The Times of Israel quoted an army statement, as saying.
The junction, in the Etzion Bloc south of Jerusalem, was a focal point for the Palestinian attacks during a wave of violence that broke out in 2015 and has since petered out.
Israeli-Palestinian tensions have been high over the last couple weeks due to a dispute over a sensitive Jerusalem holy site, but it was unclear if there was any link.
The Israeli authorities installed metal detectors and cameras at the compound of the holy site following a deadly shootout on July 14. This led to Palestinians protesting the move as they view the security move as Israel asserting further control over the site, which houses the revered Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
{{/usCountry}}The Israeli authorities installed metal detectors and cameras at the compound of the holy site following a deadly shootout on July 14. This led to Palestinians protesting the move as they view the security move as Israel asserting further control over the site, which houses the revered Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
{{/usCountry}}Palestinian rioting was reported on Friday in several locations in the West Bank, including in nearby Bethlehem and Hebron.