Four Palestinians wounded several Israeli soldiers in separate attacks today before they were shot and killed by 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 in mid-September are showing no signs of relenting. Violence erupted over tensions at a sensitive holy site in Jerusalem, sacred to both Jews and Muslims, and quickly escalated and spread to the West Bank, Israel and the Gaza border.
In today's assaults, three Palestinians stabbed Israeli soldiers in two separate incidents and later, a Palestinian rammed his car into troops at an army post in the West Bank, wounding two soldiers before he was shot and killed by other troops at the scene.
Hours earlier, a Palestinian stabbed a soldier in the neck during a security inspection near the city of Ramallah in the West Bank, the military said. It said troops at the scene opened fire and killed the attacker. Also tday, two Palestinians attacked a soldier with knives in Hebron, the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank, wounding him before Israeli troops shot and killed them, the military said.
A total of four Israeli soldiers were wounded in today's attacks, two of them were moderately wounded and the other two lightly.
Hebron 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 106 Palestinians have also died, including 71 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 as well as videos encouraging violence spread on social media. Palestinians say it is rooted in frustration over years of failed talks and lack of hope of gaining statehood.
