Suspected Palestinian assailant killed in West Bank settlement

A suspected Palestinian assailant was shot dead Friday by an Israeli civilian after an attempted stabbing attack in a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army said.

The Palestinian health ministry said a Palestinian had been killed in the southern West Bank "by occupation (Israeli) fire", without identifying the slain man.

The army in a brief statement reported an "infiltration" at the Teneh Omarim settlement south of Hebron, saying a "terrorist attempted to stab a civilian" before being "neutralised".

There were no casualties among Israelis, the army said. An army spokesperson told AFP the suspected assailant was shot by a civilian.

It was unclear whether that civilian was the target of the alleged stabbing attack.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War. Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, it is home to some three million Palestinians.

About 490,000 Israelis live in the occupied territory in settlements deemed illegal under international law.

Since the start of the year, at least 154 Palestinians, 20 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian have been killed in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources from both sides.

They include, on the Palestinian side, combatants and civilians, and on the Israeli side mostly civilians and three members of the Arab minority.

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