Israeli army shoots Palestinian dead in West Bank, alleges he attempted stabbing

Israeli forces on Monday shot dead a Palestinian in the West Bank in the latest unrest in the unlawfully occupied Palestinian territory.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the man killed as Faleh Musa Jaradat, who lived south of Hebron.

A statement from Israel's army claimed the Palestinian was an assailant who had arrived in a vehicle at the Gush Etzion Junction, which is part of a an illegal Jewish settlement close to Bethlehem city in the West Bank.

"The assailant, armed with a knife, got out of the vehicle and attempted to stab a [Israeli] soldier. The soldier fired towards the assailant and neutralised him," the army statement said.

A military spokesperson told AFP the Palestinian man had been killed.

The Israeli army has occupied Palestine's West Bank since the Six-Day War in 1967. Israel commonly kills Palestinians it alleges were targeting Israeli forces with knives in the occupied territory.

Nearly 475,000 Jewish settlers have since moved into the territory, living in communities that are regarded as illegal under international law.

Israeli settlers and armed forces routinely use violence against Palestinians living in the West Bank.

A Palestinian man aged 21 was shot in the head by Israeli security, who were raiding his refugee camp in Nablus on 6 January. He was declared dead shortly after being transferred to hospital.