JERUSALEM (AP) — A Palestinian man was shot and killed Friday after infiltrating a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said.
In a statement, the military said the man attempted to stab a resident of the Tene Omarim settlement and was shot dead by an armed civilian. He said the infiltration triggered an alarm and soldiers were monitoring the area.
The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the death but gave no further details.
The settlement is located near Hebron, a burning city in the southern West Bank that is a frequent site of friction between Palestinian residents and Jewish settlers.
The incident happened as Jews celebrated Shavuot, a holiday marking the day Jews believe the Torah was given to Moses on Mount Sinai in Egypt.
It was the latest in a wave of violence that has lasted more than a year in the West Bank. Meanwhile, Israel has expanded near-night military raids across the region in response to an increase in Palestinian attacks.
At least 113 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem this year, nearly half of whom were members of armed militant groups, according to an Associated Press tally. But young stone throwers and people not involved in the violence were also killed. The Israeli army said the number of Palestinian militants killed was much higher.
Meanwhile, Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets in these areas have killed 20 people.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek these territories for a future state.
Some 700,000 Israelis now live in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Most of the international community views these settlements as illegal or as obstacles to peace.