British woman allegedly stabbed to death by Palestinian in Jerusalem

A British woman in her twenties has been stabbed to death in Jerusalem according to police, as thousands of Jewish and Christian pilgrims thronged the city's holy sites for Good Friday and the continuing Passover holiday.

The attack, reportedly involving a Palestinian assailant, took place on the city's light railway near the Old City. She was stabbed in the chest several times.

According to the Guardian, authorities at the Hadassah hospital in Mount Scopus later announced that the woman had died of her injuries, as the Israeli media outlets identified the victim as a British citizen.

The alleged attacker was arrested at the scene.

Yoram Halevi, a police commander in the city, told Israel radio that the suspect had a history of domestic violence and mental illness.

A statement issued by the Israeli domestic security service - the Shin Bet - said the attacker, identified in a number of Israeli media reports as Jamil Tamimi from the Palestinian neighbourhood of Ras al-Amud, had also had a conviction for sexual assault.

"This is another incident of many in which a Palestinian suffering from mental health or personal issues has chosen to carry out an attack as a way out of his problems," the Shin Bet statement said.

The police had been on high alert for Passover, when tens of thousands of Jews pray at the Western Wall inside the Old City and some visit the flashpoint al-Aqsa mosque compound above it.

The compound, which is the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest site to Jews who refer to it as the Temple Mount, is the source of constant tensions.

Jews are allowed to visit but not pray at the site.

Palestinian fears that Israel will seek to change those rules have repeatedly led to violence.