JERUSALEM—Three Palestinians attacked Israeli troops with knives in separate incidents on Friday before they were shot and killed by the Israeli forces, the military said, the latest violence in more than two months of almost daily Palestinian assaults against civilians and soldiers.
The attacks that began mid-September are showing no signs of relenting. Violence began over tensions at a sensitive holy site in Jerusalem, sacred to Jews and Muslims, and quickly escalated and spread to the West Bank, Israel and the Gaza border.
In Friday’s attacks, a Palestinian stabbed and wounded a soldier near Ramallah in the West Bank, the military said. It said troops at the scene opened fire and killed the attacker.
Earlier in the day, two Palestinians attacked a soldier with knives in the city of Hebron, also in the West Bank, wounding him before Israeli troops shot and killed them, the military said.
Hebron, the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank, has been a frequent flashpoint in the latest violence. The city is home to 850 Israelis who live in heavily-guarded enclaves, surrounded by tens of thousands of Palestinians. Many of the Palestinian attackers in the past months of bloodshed have been from Hebron.
Since the violence erupted, 19 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, mostly stabbings and shootings. At least 105 Palestinians have also died, including 70 said by Israel to be attackers. The others died in clashes with Israeli forces.
Israel says the current spate of violence is due to incitement by Palestinian leaders over the Jerusalem holy site sacred to both Muslims and Jews, as well as videos encouraging violence spread on social media sites. Palestinians say it is rooted in frustration over years of failed talks and lack of hope of gaining statehood.
