Palestinian shot after 'stabbing two soldiers' in West Bank

A Palestinian was shot in the occupied West Bank on Monday after allegedly attacking Israeli soldiers, only months after his brother was killed while carrying out an attack.

"An assailant armed with a knife stabbed two IDF (Israel Defence Forces) soldiers during routine activity near al-Arroub," an army statement said, referring to an area south of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank.

"Forces shot and detained the assailant," it added.

An army spokeswoman said the two soldiers' wounds were not life threatening.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the man shot as Mustafa Baradeah from al-Arroub refugee camp.

Local sources told The New Arab that Israeli soldiers fired a barrage of bullets at the victim near an Israeli military watch-tower and left him bleeding on the ground without allowing anyone to approach him.

Israeli ambulances rushed to the scene to treat the injured soldiers, while sources in the Palestinian Red Crescent told The New Arab that Israeli forces prevented ambulances from reaching the scene.

His brother Ibrahim was killed in April after allegedly carrying out an attack with an axe that left a soldier lightly wounded, the Israeli army and a Palestinian security source said.

Al-Arroub is located about halfway between Bethlehem and the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron, where the Israeli army has implemented a particular harsh crackdown.

Violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories since October last year has killed at least 215 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese.

Most of the Palestinian victims were shot dead during protests and clashes, while some were killed by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

Agencies contributed to this report