Palestinian shot dead in attempted stabbing attack

A Palestinian man was shot dead in the Israel-occupied West Bank on Friday after allegedly attempting to carry out a stabbing attack, reported Xinhua, quoting the military.

The incident took place near a military post at the Gitai Avisar Junction outside the Jewish settlement of Ariel in the northern West Bank, according to a statement by the Israel Defense Forces.

No injuries were reported in the attempted attack.

The IDF released a photo of a large kitchen knife and identified it as the suspect's weapon.

According to the statement, the suspect stepped out of a vehicle, armed with the knife, and ran toward a bus station where civilians and soldiers were standing.

"The troops fired toward the assailant and neutralized him," the statement read.

After the incident, the Israeli troops have blocked off a number of routes and were "pursuing the vehicle and additional suspects," according to the statement.

The incident was the most recent in a renewed wave of "lone wolf" attacks, in which individual Palestinians, not affiliated with any organizations, carried out stabbing, car-ramming and shooting attacks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The West Bank has been under the Israeli control since its capture in the 1967 Middle East war despite international criticism. The Palestinians wish to build their future state in this territory.