A Palestinian was shot and killed on Thursday after a stabbing attack at an Israeli military checkpoint north of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, Israel’s army and media said.

An Israeli army spokesperson said that an assailant attacked a military vehicle before stabbing and injuring an officer when the forces exited the vehicle. Israeli forces then opened fire on the assailant in response, killing him on site, according to Israeli media, which reported that a soldier was “very lightly injured.”

The attack took place at a flying checkpoint set up by Israeli forces nearby the Palestinian village of Asira ash-Shamaliya, hometown of the alleged attacker who was identified by locals as Haitham Mahmoud Abd al-Jalil, 31.

Hours before, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian near the Beit Einun junction northeast of Hebron after an alleged stab attempt.

Witnesses told Ma’an that Israeli military forces prevented Palestinian Red Crescent medics from accessing the shot Palestinian for medical treatment. The man was identified as Muayyad Awni Jabbarin, 20, by his father, who arrived to the scene following his death.

Thursday’s deaths bring the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces over the last week to 12.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response said the deaths marked a “dangerous escalation” and condemned the “continuous series of crimes and field executions by Netanyahu’s government against Palestinians.”

Investigations into a number of recent Palestinian deaths concluded that Israeli policy implemented since the increase in attacks has resulted in unnecessary Palestinian deaths, according to international rights group Amnesty International.

(MAAN)