Palestinian suspected knife attacker killed in West Bank

Israeli forces on Saturday killed a Palestinian armed with a knife on the border between the northern occupied West Bank and Israel before he could attack them, police said.

The Palestinian was heading from the West Bank sector of Jenin to Israel when he was spotted at a checkpoint, police said, adding that border guards opened fire and killed him before he could attack them.

It was the latest shooting of a suspected Palestinian attacker since the start of unrest in early October that has triggered fears of a third Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel.

Nine Israelis, 66 Palestinians and an Arab Israeli have been killed since the violence erupted, while dozens have been wounded.

Saturday's foiled knife attack comes after the funeral late Friday in Jenin of Ahmed Kemil, a Palestinian shot and killed by Israeli forces at the same checkpoint a week ago.

On Friday the Israeli army returned the body of Kemil and those of six other Palestinians killed by Israeli troops or police to their families in what appeared to be an effort to ease tensions.

The funerals of the other six were due to take place later on Saturday.
Source: AFP