Israeli forces kill Palestinian with ‘three-knife’ weapon

An Israeli soldier has shot dead a Palestinian suspected of attempting an attack on troops in the West Bank, according to the Israeli army.

The military said in a statement “an armed assailant with three knives connected to a stick” attempted to attack soldiers on Sunday at a West Bank junction south of Bethlehem. No soldiers were hurt.

Video shared on social media showed a man in a grey sweatshirt walking along the side of a highway. He appeared to pull something out of his clothes and began to run towards a soldier. The soldier appeared to fire his weapon, and the man collapsed.

The military shared a photo of the alleged weapon, which looked like a cluster of knives taped to a broom handle.

Previous incidents

Last week, an Israeli soldier shot and killed a 17-year-old Palestinian who allegedly attacked troops with a knife in the northern West Bank.

Palestinian and Israeli rights groups have accused Israel of using excessive force in some instances, and of killing suspected attackers who could have been apprehended.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 War.

There are currently about 475,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank living in communities considered illegal under international law, in the midst of about 2.8 million Palestinians.