Palestinian woman shot trying to stab Israeli troops

Hebron: A Palestinian woman attempted to stab Israeli occupation soldiers in the flashpoint city of Hebron in the West Bank on Sunday before she was shot and arrested, regime officials and medics said.

It was the latest in nearly three months of such attacks.

The incident set off a clash between Palestinian residents — who said they were seeking to help the wounded woman — and Israeli security forces who fired rubber bullets and stun grenades, witnesses and Palestinian medics said.

Two people were hurt by rubber bullets but their injuries were not believed to be serious, according to the medics.

No injuries were reported on the Israeli side.

“In Hebron, an assailant attempted to stab soldiers stationed in the area,” the Israeli occupation said in a statement.

“The forces responded, thwarting the attack. The assailant has been arrested and evacuated for medical treatment.”

A wave of violence since the start of October has claimed the lives of 123 on the Palestinian side, 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean.

Many of the Palestinians killed have been alleged attackers, while others have been shot dead by Israeli security forces during clashes.

Tensions have been particularly high in Hebron, where several hundred Israeli colonists live under heavy military guard in the heart of the city among about 200,000 Palestinians.

The stabbers have often been young Palestinians, including teenagers, who appear to be acting on their own.

A number of them have attempted attacks with kitchen knives in what some analysts have described as de facto suicide missions.

Palestinians have grown frustrated with Israel’s occupation, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership, while international efforts to end the violence have so far failed.