Two Palestinians have been shot dead after they attempted to stab Israeli soldiers at a West Bank checkpoint on Saturday, said the Israeli army.
The assailants, who were trying to stab IDF soldiers patrolling the checkpoint near Beka'ot, were shot fatally by the Israeli army.
A series of attacks, such a stabbings and car rammings, have led to the death of 21 Israelis, both military and civilian, while 137 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli forces in the past few months.
There has been an increase in violence between the two countries due to building frustration as Israel continues to occupy parts of Palestine.
Israel, which has tried to discourage violent incidents like stabbings — an almost-daily occurrence now — took severe punitive measures against the perpetrators.
The house of a Palestinian man in Hebron was demolished by the Israeli army after he killed a rabbi, said an army spokesperson to AFP.
House demolitions have been used as a way to stem violent attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was "one of the most efficient tools" in curbing attacks by Palestinians.
The practice has been restarted in east Jerusalem.
Israel's recent decision to increase the boundary at a West Bank settlement bloc has come under fire from the US, who said the move would be detrimental to peace talks.
"Continued settlement activity and expansion raises honest questions about Israel's long-term intentions and will only make achieving a two state solution much more difficult," said John Kirby, Washington's spokesperson.
