Three Palestinians have been shot dead as they carried out attacks and another has been killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers. Early on Thursday a Palestinian man stabbed two security guards at an entrance to an industrial zone at the Jewish settlement of Ariel, the largest in the north of the occupied West Bank. Police said both victims suffered moderate wounds and the attacker was killed. He was identified as Mohammed Zahran, 23, from the nearby village of Kafr Addik. Later, another Palestinian man tried to attack soldiers with a screwdriver at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Hebron, and was shot dead. The Palestinian health ministry identified him as Iyad Idaissat, 25, from the village of Yatta. In a third incident, a Palestinian man was shot dead while attempting to ram his car into a military post near the Adam junction north-east of Jerusalem, the army said. Bilal Zayd, 23, was from the Qalandiya refugee camp between Jerusalem and Ramallah. Bethlehem suffers as the world stays away from the birthplace of Christmas Read more Clashes broke out at the camp later. Israeli forces entered the camp to arrest three suspects, local officials said. Seven people were wounded, including two from gunshots to the head, according to a camp official. Local medics said a Palestinian was killed and six wounded. The army said two soldiers were hurt. A spokeswoman for the Israeli army said the forces were "assaulted by a violent mob" of Palestinians shooting at them and throwing rocks, molotov cocktails and explosive devices. "The force responded to the immediate danger and fired toward the gunmen. Hits were confirmed," she said. A wave of violence since the start of October has claimed the lives of 129 people on the Palestinian side, 19 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean. Many of the Palestinians killed have been attackers, while others have been shot dead by Israeli security forces during clashes.
