Palestinian kills 3 Israelis in West Bank knife attack

A Palestinian man killed three Israelis and wounded three others in a knife-wielding attack on Tuesday in the West Bank before being shot dead by Israeli forces, reported Xinhua, quoting Israeli military and medics.

The Palestinian man first attacked people at the entrance of the Ariel settlement's industrial zone, wounding a security guard, an Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement.

He then moved to a nearby gas station and attacked three people, killing two of them, the spokesperson added.

The assailant then went on a driving rampage on a road, killing a man in his 50s and seriously wounding a 35-year-old man, according to Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service.

The attacker was "neutralized" after fleeing the scene, the military spokesperson noted.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news identified the attacker as a 19-year-old from the West Bank village of Hares.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid sent condolences to the families of the victims, saying in a statement that the country's "security forces are working around the clock to protect the citizens of Israel and target terrorist infrastructure anytime, anywhere."

The incident was the latest amid rising violence between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank, a territory captured by Israel in a 1967 war.

At least 130 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since January, and 28 Israelis killed in attacks by Palestinians since March, according to official Palestinian and Israeli figures.