Israeli soldiers at Gush Etzion Junction in the Gush Etzion settlements compound, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Feb. 2, 2023. (Credit: Dedi Hayun/Reuters)
Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian near the West Bank city of Hebron Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said, after what the Israeli army alleged was a "stabbing attack."
Sharif Hassan Rabaa, 22, "succumbed to critical wounds, which he sustained by bullets from the occupation [Israeli forces], near the entrance to Fawwar" refugee camp, the health ministry said in a statement.
The Israeli army said "an assailant approached ... soldiers and attempted to stab one of the soldiers" near Fawwar, in the south of the occupied West Bank.
"The soldiers responded with live fire and neutralized the suspect," the army added in a statement.
Since the start of the year, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 43 Palestinians — including civilians, attackers and militants. Six Israeli civilians, including a child, and one Ukrainian civilian have been killed over the same period.
The surge in violence has prompted a number of international calls for calm, including from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit to the region last month.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967.
Sharif Hassan Rabaa, 22, "succumbed to critical wounds, which he sustained by bullets from the occupation [Israeli forces], near the entrance to Fawwar" refugee camp, the...