Palestinians killed after alleged knife attack in West Bank settlement
JERUSALEM (AP) — A Palestinian was shot dead on Friday after infiltrating a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army said.
In a statement, the military said the man tried to stab a resident of Tene Omarim settlement and was shot dead by an armed civilian. It said the infiltration had raised an alarm and soldiers were searching the area.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed the death but gave no further details.
The settlement is near Hebron, a crisis city in the southern West Bank that often causes tensions between Palestinian residents and Jewish settlers.
The incident occurred as Jews were celebrating Shavuot, a festival marking the day Jews believe the Torah was delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai in Egypt.
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It was the latest in a wave of violence in the West Bank that lasted more than a year. During this period, Israel has escalated its almost nightly military attacks across the region in response to the increase in Palestinian attacks.
According to a tally by the Associated Press, at least 113 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem this year, nearly half of them members of armed militant groups. But stone-throwing young people and bystanders were also killed. The Israeli army said the number of Palestinian militants killed was much higher.
Meanwhile, Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets in those areas have killed 20 people.
In the 1967 Middle East War, Israel conquered the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians seek these areas for a future state.
Around 700,000 Israelis now live in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Most of the international community sees these settlements as illegal or as an obstacle to peace.
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