Palestinian shot dead after approaching Israeli force in West Bank

Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank on Friday, who they say advanced towards them without adhering to warnings, the Israeli army said.

"The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recognized a suspect running towards the force stationed at a post northeast of Ramallah," an IDF spokesperson told Xinhua on Friday.

"Upon the suspect's advance, the force shot the suspect, eventually resulting in his death," the spokesperson said, adding that the incident is currently under investigation.

The Hebrew-based Walla! news website reported that no weapons were found with the Palestinian, identified by Palestinian sources as 38-year-old Iyad Zakaria Hamid.

On Wednesday, a Palestinian man stabbed an Israeli soldier near the Jewish settlement of Yitzhar, south of Nablus, wounding him lightly. Soldiers at the scene shot and killed the attacker.

Israelis and Palestinians have been mired in a wave of violence since October, which had claimed the lives of 34 Israelis and more than 220 Palestinians.

Israelis died in shooting, stabbing and car-ramming attacks. Some Palestinians died in clashes with Israeli security forces during protests, while others were gunned down after allegedly trying to carry out attacks against Israelis.

There has been international criticism over Israel's treatment of the attackers, with allegations that Israeli forces sometime killed attackers who no longer posed a threat.

Israel accuses the Palestinians of incitement to violence amid the wave of unrest, whereas the Palestinians charge it is the result of 49 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, where they wish to establish their own state. Endit