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Pregnant woman stabbed in West Bank settlement: Reports

Palestinian attacker was shot and seriously wounded following incident in Tekoa, near Bethleham, according to Israeli army
Israeli military policemen stand guard on 18 January at the entrance of the Otniel settlement (AFP)

A pregnant woman was wounded on Monday in a reported stabbing attack in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, according to media reports.

The Palestinian attacker was shot by a settlement resident and is in a serious condition, the Israeli army said, according to the AFP news agency.

The Haaretz newspaper said the assailant was shot and killed by a settler at the scene in the settlement of Tekoa, near Bethlehem.

A spokesperson with Israel's emergency medical service told the Palestinian Maan news agency that the 30-year-old woman was in a "moderate to severe" condition.

The attack came a day after a Palestinian broke into an Israeli settlement in the southern West Bank and stabbed a woman to death in her home, the first such incident in a months-long wave of violence.

Israel's military confirmed on Monday it was searching for the suspect following the stabbing in the Otniel settlement near Hebron in the southern West Bank, but declined to provide further details.

The woman, Dafna Meir, a 38-year-old nurse and mother of six, was stabbed on Sunday, with the assailant fleeing. At least some of her children, aged four to 17, were home at the time, but were not hurt.

She was to be buried in Jerusalem later on Monday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday offered his condolences to the Meir family and said: “The Jewish people grieves with you.”

Netanyahu pledged to “strengthen the communities” in West Bank settlements. 

“Whoever tries to harm us, we will bring him to justice. In the end he will be found and he will pay the full price,” he said.

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