Palestinian child shot by Israeli troops after alleged attack

Israeli troops on Friday shot and wounded a Palestinian teenager who the army claims was attempting to stab Israelis at a bus stop near a settlement in the occupied West Bank.

"An assailant attempted to carry out a stabbing attack at the Elias junction, near the community of Kiryat Arba," a military statement said.

"Forces at the scene shot the assailant, who is receiving medical treatment."

Palestinian security sources said he was aged 14.

Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek hospital, where the Palestinian child was receiving treatment, said in a statement that he arrived "with gunshot wounds to the chest and leg" and was in serious condition, sedated and on a respirator.

Kiryat Arba is an Israeli settlement in the southern West Bank close to the flashpoint Palestinian city of Hebron.

The incident occurred at the same spot where a week ago two Palestinians allegedly rammed a car into the bus stop, lightly injuring three civilians before troops killed one of the assailants.

His female companion was shot in the stomach and taken to a Jerusalem hospital in serious condition.

The latest incident was the 10th since September 16, when 28-year-old Jordanian citizen Saeed Amro was shot dead in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem after allegedly trying to stab police officers.

Elsewhere Friday, Israeli soldiers opened fire on a group of Palestinian youth demonstrating near the border fence between Israel and the besieged Gaza strip.

The Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said six people were wounded, one of them gravely.

Violence since last October has killed 230 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, one Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count.

Many analysts say Palestinian frustration with the Israeli occupation and settlement building in the West Bank have helped feed the unrest.

Agencies contributed to this report.