TEHRAN (Iran News) – Israeli military forces have shot and injured a Palestinian man in the southern part of West Bank over an alleged stabbing attempt against the regime’s soldiers, amid heightening tensions in the occupied territories.
The Israeli military alleged in a statement that the attempted stabbing occurred at Gush Etzion Junction near the southern West Bank city of al-Khalil, located 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Jerusalem al-Quds, on Sunday morning.
The statement claimed that a 60-year-old resident of the nearby village of Husan approached a group of soldiers with a knife in her hand and tried to stab the troops.
Israeli troops at the scene then opened fire at the woman and injured her in the leg. No Israeli soldier was injured in the alleged assault.
The suspect was taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem al-Quds in critical condition.
The development came only two days after a Palestinian man was shot and wounded near the West Bank settlement of Efrat over an alleged stabbing attack.
According to a statement released by Israeli authorities on Friday, the incident occurred when the suspect attempted to stab a police officer and soldier at Efrat Junction with a “sharp object” clenched in his hand.
The statement said the suspect was “neutralized” before injuring any bystanders at the scene. The condition of the Palestinian man remains unknown.
Many Palestinians have sustained injuries or lost their lives in similar incidents due to allegations that they attempted stabbing or car-ramming attacks.
Israeli troops have on numerous occasions been caught on camera brutally killing Palestinians, with the videos going viral online and sparking international condemnation.
Tel Aviv has been criticized for its extensive use of lethal force and extrajudicial killing of Palestinians who do not pose an immediate threat to its forces or to settlers.
Palestinian territories have been the scene of soaring tensions in the wake of President Mahmoud Abbas’s decision to delay parliamentary polls that were scheduled to take place on May 22.
He announced the postponement late on Thursday, citing Israel’s rejection of allowing elections to be held in occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.Israeli forces have escalated an arrest campaign targeting key figures of Hamas resistance movement in the West Bank in recent months, detaining Mustafa al-Shanar, Adnan Asfour, Khalid al-Hajj, Omar al-Hanbali, Jamal al-Tawil and Khatam al-Qafisheh among others.
