A knife that the Israeli military said was found on a Palestinian woman who attempted a stabbing on June 1, 2022. Photo: IDF

A Palestinian armed with a knife was fatally shot on Wednesday morning after attempting to stab an Israeli soldier in the southern West Bank, the Israeli military said.

The woman advanced toward an IDF soldier who was securing Highway 60, which runs from Nazareth down through the West Bank until Beersheba, when forces responded with fire. Earlier this year, the woman was imprisoned for attempting to stab an Israeli police officer, the IDF said.

According to Yediot Ahronot, she had served a three year sentence and was released two months ago.

Palestinians who gathered in the area following the incident directed racial epithets towards one of the Israeli soldiers, who is of Ethiopian descent, the outlet reported.

The incident comes as the Israeli military continues operating against a spike in terrorism carried out by Palestinian and Arab Israeli perpetrators, with security forces arresting 12 individuals in an overnight raid in the West Bank.

Later on Wednesday, the Israeli military said its forces were in Ya’bad, west of Jenin, to destroy the home of a terrorist who carried out a shooting attack in Bnei Brak in March, killing three passersby and a police officer.