Three Palestinians shot dead by Israelis during unrest

Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinians during an attempted stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank today while a third was killed in unrelated clashes, officials said.
Two young Palestinians were killed after one of them attempted to stab an Israeli soldier near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, the army said, the latest in more than three months of such attacks.
"A Palestinian attacker, armed with a knife, attempted to stab a soldier securing the Beit Hanoun junction near Hebron," a statement said.
"Responding to the imminent threat, forces at the scene fired towards the assailant, resulting in his death."

A second man, who the army said had driven the attacker to the scene, was shot and injured as he fled.
Palestinian security sources said he later died, with the health ministry identifying the two as 23-year-old Mohammed Kowazba and 17-year-old Adnan al-Mashti.

Earlier a 21-year-old was shot and killed during protests near Bethlehem.
"Young man killed after being shot in the chest by (Israeli) forces in Beit Jala," a Palestinian health ministry statement said, referring to a town south of Jerusalem in the West Bank.
It identified him as 21-year-old Srur Ahmad Abu Srur from Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem.

The Israeli army confirmed forces had fired on a "violent riot" in Beit Jala. "A hit was confirmed," a spokeswoman said.
Hospital sources said a second person was shot in the leg during the clashes.
Twenty-three Israelis and an American have been killed in Palestinian attacks including stabbings, car rammings and gunfire since October 1. An Eritrean was also killed.
At the same time, 149 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks.
The Palestinian Prisoners Club rights group says more than 3,000 Palestinians have been arrested since the start of the violence, with most of them minors. It says a total of more than 7,000 Palestinian prisoners are currently held by Israel.