Palestinian killed after alleged stabbing attempt on Israeli soldiers

A Palestinian man was shot dead on Friday afternoon after he allegedly tried to stab a group of Israeli soldiers.

Abdullah Ali Mahmoud Taqataqah, aged 24, from the nearby town of Beit Fajar, was killed at the Gush Etzion junction, around 10km south west of Bethlehem.

"The Palestinian arrived at the scene, armed with a knife and ran towards IDF soldiers who were at the scene," the Israeli forces said in a statement, using an acronym for the military.

"Forces fired shots at the assailant. No injuries to IDF forces were reported."

A sentry at a watchtower caught sight of the attacker as he approached the checkpoint and alerted soldiers on the ground who promptly shot him.

The Palestinian ministry of health confirmed Taqataqah's death while a copy of his identity card was shared on Twitter.

There have been a spate of knife attacks in recent weeks, as violent protests increased in the occupied territories over new Israeli security measures in an area surrounding the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The last stabbing attack took place at Gush Etzion on 10 July.

Clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces were reported across the West Bank on Friday afternoon.