Five Palestinians killed in alleged attacks in West Bank and Jerusalem

Five Palestinians were killed and another critically injured in alleged attacks on Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem on Sunday, according to Israeli authorities.

Two teenagers were shot dead after allegedly opening fire on Israeli soldiers near the city of Jenin in the West Bank, the Israeli army said.

The statement said the pair attacked an Israeli patrol west of the city of Jenin with rocks before firing on soldiers with a rifle.

"The force responded to the shooting and fired towards the attackers, resulting in their deaths," it said.

The Palestinian health ministry named those killed as Nihad Waked and Fuad Waked, both 15 years old. They were not thought to be closely related.

Late on Sunday, two Palestinians armed with what police called "improvised automatic weapons" were shot dead by police officers just outside Jerusalem's Old City walls, the AFP news agency reported.

A police statement later said that one was spotted carrying a bag in a way that made officers suspicious and when they ordered him to drop it he pulled out a weapon and took aim, but was shot dead before he could pull the trigger.

A second gunman then opened fire but was killed by police without wounding any officers, it said.

The statement said the attackers were both about 20 years old.

Two more Palestinians were also shot, one fatally, on Sunday in incidents described as attempted stabbings by Israeli authorities.

A Palestinian was killed after attempting to stab an Israeli border guard in the West Bank between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, authorities said.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the assailant as Naim Safi, 17, from a village near Bethlehem.

Also on Sunday, a female Palestinian tried to stab an Israeli policeman but was shot in the attempt in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron, Israeli police said.

She was taken to hospital in critical condition.

But there were conflicting reports about the incident and the age and identity of the attacker.

Police said a 20-year-old woman drew a knife on a border police officer at a checkpoint and the officer, who was unharmed, shot her.

But the Palestinian Maan news agency cited local Palestinian sources who said a 14-year-old girl had been shot as she was walking away from soldiers.

The incident took place near the shared religious site known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs and to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque, a site of frequent friction between the sides.

It was the location of another alleged stabbing attempt on Saturday, which resulted in a 17-year-old Palestinian named by officials as Kalzar al-Uweiwi being shot dead.

Mourners gathered in Hebron on Sunday for Uweiwi's funeral.

Since the current round of bloodshed erupted at the beginning of October, 172 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces. Most were killed while allegedly carrying out attacks but others died during clashes and demonstrations.

The violence has claimed the lives of 26 Israelis, as well as an American, a Sudanese and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count.