Israeli army kills Palestinian teenager in West Bank

By Anadolu staff

JERISALEM (AA) - The Israeli army on Monday shot dead a Palestinian youth near the city of Bethlehem in the southern occupied West Bank in an alleged knife attack against the soldiers, according to Israel's public broadcaster KAN.

Witnesses told Anadolu that the Israeli army opened fire on the Palestinian, believed to be a student, at the entrance of the town of Teqoa near Bethlehem.

The army closed off the area and prevented civilians and medical teams from reaching the site of the incident, they added.

The Israeli broadcaster said that a 16-year-old Palestinian attempted to stab soldiers at a location near the settlement of Teqoa in the Gush Etzion bloc.

No injuries were reported among the Israeli soldiers, it added.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas, in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed.

At least 26,422 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 65,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio