Jerusalem – A Palestinian was shot and killed while trying to stab soldiers in the West Bank, the military said Friday hours after an Israeli man was seriously wounded by a Palestinian armed with an axe and a knife, the latest in months of near-daily Palestinian assaults on Israeli forces and civilians.
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The military said a Palestinian brandishing a knife tried to stab soldiers on duty near Ramallah Friday afternoon before forces at the scene opened fire and killed him.
In the early hours of Friday morning, an Israeli man was brought to hospital in a serious condition with multiple wounds sustained from a knife and axe attack in Maaleh Adumim, an Israeli settlement near Jerusalem. Police said an initial investigation indicates it was “most likely” a Palestinian assailant who carried out the attack and then fled the scene.
Israel is struggling to combat five months of near-daily Palestinian attacks on civilians and security forces that have killed 28 Israelis, mostly in stabbings, shootings and attacks where Palestinians used vehicles as weapons to ram into Israelis.
At least 167 Palestinians were killed, most of them said by Israel to have been attackers, during that time. The rest died in clashes with troops.
Israel says the violence is fueled by a Palestinian campaign of lies and incitement, compounded on social media sites that glorify and encourage attacks. Palestinians say it stems from frustration at nearly five decades of Israeli rule and dwindling hopes for gaining independence.