Israeli troops kill Palestinian woman in West Bank, say she attempted stabbing

A knife-wielding Palestinian woman threatened an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank and was shot dead on Wednesday, the army said, an account that was disputed by Palestinian officials.

Violence in territories where Palestinians seek statehood has simmered since U.S.-sponsored peace talks stalled in 2014. Recent weeks have seen an escalation, including deadly Palestinian attacks inside Israel.

In a statement, the Israeli army said “an assailant armed with a knife advanced toward an IDF (Israel Defence Force) soldier who was conducting routine security activity” near Al Aroub village.

“The soldiers responded with live fire,” it said.

A hospital in the nearby Palestinian city of Hebron confirmed the woman’s death.

The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the killing as a “field execution”.

“She was en route to her work and there were no incidents there or danger to the criminals,“ the ministry said in a statement.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club, an organisation that monitors the welfare of Palestinians jailed by Israel, said the 31-year-old woman had been briefly jailed by Israel earlier this year. It did not immediately elaborate.