Palestinians killed as stabbings and clashes continue

Israeli forces killed two Palestinian stabbing suspects in separate incidents and an 8-month old Palestinian baby died after tear gas inhalation, as violence continued throughout the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on Friday.

The baby, Ramadan Mohammed Faisal Thawabta, died in the Beit Fajjar village south of Bethlehem, local Palestinian Ma'an News Agancy reported. Separately, the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the death of Qassem Mahmoud Sabaneh, 20, from Jenin. The ministry added that a second Palestinian was shot and is in critical condition.

The two Palestinians had driven a motorcycle to an Israeli paramilitary police checkpoint at a junction near a Jewish settlement, dismounted and rushed at the troopers with knives drawn, an Israeli police spokesperson said. One policeman was lightly wounded, the spokesperson said.

This was just one incident in a continued spate of violence that has so far in October claimed the lives of 69 Palestinians and at least nine Israelis.

At Sabaneh's burial, which is expected to happen later Friday, a 16-year-old cousin will also be buried — Ahmed Kmail, who was killed by Israeli forces Saturday in Jenin after attempting to carry out a stabbing attack, Al Jazeera has learned. 

In a separate incident on Friday, a Palestinian was shot by security guards after carrying out a knife attack at a light-rail station near Jerusalem's Old City, medical officials and police said. The Palestinian attacker later died of his wounds.

They said two people, believed to be Israelis, were wounded in the incident. One of the Israelis was stabbed and another was shot, having been hit by gunfire directed at the assailant, medical officials and police said.

Also on Friday near Ramallah, a Palestinian tried to stab an Israeli officer before fleeing, Israeli media reported. And, video footage posted on social media and Palestinian TV shows Israeli forces running over a Palestinian youth during clashes that broke out after Friday prayers. The extent of his injuries was not immediately clear.

The 69 Palestinians who have been killed since Oct. 1 include unarmed protesters, bystanders and alleged attackers from across Israel, the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. At Israelis deaths have been caused by stabbing or shooting incidents.

The recent surge in violence has been sparked by Palestinian resentment over Israeli settlements and incursions into Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the third holiest site for Muslims.

Israeli forces on Friday imposed new restrictions on Palestinians in the Israeli-controlled center of Hebron, the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank, residents said.

The military barred Palestinians between the ages of 15 and 25 from entering a major Hebron shrine that is revered by both Muslims and Jews, said senior Muslim cleric Munther Abu Felat. He said the age restrictions were enforced only partially.

In recent days, Hebron has become a flashpoint of Israeli-Palestinian violence, with near-daily deadly confrontations at Israeli checkpoints that guard enclaves of ultra-nationalist Jewish settlers in the center of the city.  In these incidents, Palestinians have been shot dead after the military said they stabbed or tried to stab soldiers.

Hebron has been divided since the late 1990s, as part of what was meant to be an interim agreement ahead of a final peace deal that never materialized. Israel controls the city center, where 850 Jewish settlers live, while the remaining areas of the city are under Palestinian self-rule. Settlements are deemed illegal under international law.

The most restricted area, near settler enclaves, is home to about 10,000 Palestinians, said Palestinian community organizer Issa Amro.

He said Palestinians were informed by Israeli forces at checkpoints on Friday that Palestinian non-residents would not be able to enter these areas, Amro said.

The Israeli military did not provide details.

In a statement, it only said that in light of recent stabbing attacks in the area, "several precautionary measures were taken to contain potential attacks in the future and maintain the well-being and safety of Israelis."

Al Jazeera and wire services