IDF soldiers shoot Palestinian woman who approached them with knife in West Bank

A Palestinian woman armed with a knife approached a soldier stationed in the southern West Bank before being shot, according to reports on Wednesday morning.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the woman was holding the knife in her hand as she neared a soldier close to the Al Aroub refugee camp, south of Bethlehem.

The military said that troops responded to the apparent attempted stabbing with gunfire.

There was no immediate word on the condition of the alleged attacker.

There were no Israelis injured in the incident.

Tensions have risen sharply between Israel and the Palestinians in recent months against the backdrop of a number of terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank that left 19 dead.

The Israeli army stepped up its West Bank activities in an attempt to crack down on the spiraling violence. The ensuing raids sparked clashes that left at least 30 Palestinians dead since mid-March.

Many were gunmen involved in firefights with Israeli soldiers or who took part in violent clashes. Others were apparently uninvolved bystanders.