Israeli troops shoot alleged Palestinian attacker in West Bank

A Palestinian has been shot and seriously wounded by Israeli troops who claimed he was attempting to stab Israelis at a bus stop in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli miltary said its forces shot the alleged attacker on Friday near the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba, near the Palestinian city Hebron.

An army spokeswoman told the AFP news agency that Israeli civilians had been waiting at the stop with soldiers standing guard nearby, and it was not known who was the intended target.

Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem said the Palestinian arrived “with gunshot wounds to the chest and leg” and was in serious condition.

The shooting occurred at the same spot where one week ago two Palestinians rammed a car into the bus stop, lightly injuring three civilians before troops killed one of the occupants.

Another Palestinian, a woman, was shot in the stomach and remains in a serious condition at a hospital in Jerusalem.  

The shooting on Friday is the latest in a 10 incidents since 16 September, when 28-year-old Jordanian citizen Saeed Amro tried to stab police officers in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and was killed by a policewoman on the spot..

Palestinian officials respond by saying Israeli security forces have closed off more villages and opened new checkpoints, putting more strain on Palestinians in the occupied territories.

Violence since last October has killed 230 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, one Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count.