A Palestinian was shot and killed near the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron after allegedly attempting to stab an Israeli soldier, the third Palestinian to be killed on Tuesday.

A Palestinian man reportedly attempted to stab an Israeli soldier at a checkpoint in Tel Rumeida and was shot dead by Israeli forces, Israeli news site Ynet said.

A Ma’an reporter identified the victim as Hammam Said, 23.

A local activist group in the area, the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), said that activists heard six shots being fired in Tel Rumeida.

The group claimed on social media that Israeli forces then placed a knife next to the man’s body.

Israeli soldiers reportedly stripped the clothes from Said’s body before placing him in a body bag, the group added.

Earlier, two Palestinians were shot and killed in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc south of Bethlehem on Tuesday after allegedly stabbing an Israeli soldier.

Israeli forces shot dead both suspects, and the 19-year-old Israeli soldier was evacuated for medical treatment to a hospital in Jerusalem.

The Palestinian suspects were identified as Shabaan Abu Shkeidem, 17, and Shadi Nabil Abd al-Muti Dweik, 22, both from Hebron.

The latest deaths bring the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces to over 60 since the beginning of the month.

While around 30 of those killed were shot after allegedly carrying out attacks on Israelis, a number of alleged attacks have been disputed by Palestinian witnesses and investigations by rights groups, who say the suspects posed no threat at the time of their death. MAANNEWS