Israeli military: Palestinian man killed after alleged stabbing in West Bank settlement

Jerusalem — A Palestinian man was shot dead in the occupied West Bank on Friday after he sneaked into a Jewish settlement and tried to stab a resident, the Israeli army said.

According to a military statement, the man attempted to stab a resident in the Tene Omarim settlement and was shot dead by an armed civilian. They said the incident set off the alarm and troopers scanned the area.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed the death and identified the slain man as 28-year-old Alaa Qissaya.

Security camera footage from the scene shows a Palestinian man crawling under a gate and walking into the settlement holding a knife. The video does not show the alleged stabbing attempt or the shooting of the man.

The settlement is near Hebron, a flashpoint city in the southern West Bank that is a frequent site of friction between Palestinian residents and Jewish settlers.

Meanwhile, Jewish settlers attacked Palestinian farmers and set fire to five vehicles in al-Mughayyir village near the city of Ramallah, the official Palestinian news agency reported. They said five farmers were beaten and injured by the settlers. Israeli media reported that Israeli forces had been sent in to control the situation. There was no immediate comment from the military.

The incidents occurred as Jews were celebrating Shavuot, a holiday on which Jews believe the Torah was given to Moses at Mount Sinai in Egypt.

It was the latest incident in a wave of violence in the West Bank that has lasted more than a year. During this time, Israel expanded near-nightly military raids throughout the area in response to an increase in Palestinian attacks.

According to an Associated Press tally, at least 113 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem this year, nearly half of them belonging to armed militant groups. But stone-throwing youths and people not involved in violent acts were also killed. According to the Israeli army, the number of Palestinian militants killed is much higher.

Meanwhile, Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets in these areas killed 20 people.

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East War. The Palestinians are seeking these lands for a future state.

About 700,000 Israelis currently live in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Most of the international community considers these settlements illegal or obstacles to peace.