By Zain Khalil
JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army on Saturday shot dead a Palestinian citizen in a preemptive attack in the occupied West Bank, claiming in an official statement following the incident that soldiers at a checkpoint near Nablus city suspected he was "attempting a knife attack."
A short while ago, there was an attempt to stab an Israeli army reserve force from Battalion 7037 operating at a checkpoint near the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank, the Israeli army claimed Saturday in a statement on X.
The force became suspicious of the Palestinian who arrived at the checkpoint and began questioning him. He then pulled out a knife and started advancing towards the force, the statement claimed.
Israeli soldiers responded by firing at the Palestinian, resulting in his death, with no injuries reported among their ranks, it added.
Tensions have been running high across the West Bank amid an Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group on Oct. 7.
The Israeli army resumed bombing the Gaza Strip early Friday after declaring an end to a week-long humanitarian pause.
At least 193 Palestinians have been killed and 652 injured since Friday in Israeli airstrikes, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Israel launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.
* Writing by Mohammad Sio