Israeli Soldier Stabbed, 3 Palestinians Shot in West Bank

An Israeli soldier was stabbed and three Palestinians were shot during a confrontation near the West Bank town of Ramallah overnight, sources on both sides said.

The soldier was lightly wounded in the incident but the condition of the three Palestinians was not immediately clear, the Israeli army said.

Palestinian witnesses and security sources said the three men, Rashad Deeb and his brothers Akram and Anwar, were injured during an incident in Rammun village, 10 kilometers (six miles) northeast of Ramallah.

They said the men had heard someone moving around during the night and had gone out to confront a group they believed were thieves.

But the "thieves" turned out to be Israeli soldiers working undercover, who were dressed to look like Palestinians and opened fire after one of the Palestinians attacked them with a knife, they said.

"The Israeli army shot at my husband and his brothers Akram and Anwar," the wife of Rashad Deeb told Agence France Presse.

"I saw my husband was hurt but I don't know if Akram and Anwar were hurt too. The army took the three of them," she said.

The army confirmed the incident but did not say whether or not the soldiers were working undercover.

"Soldiers were carrying out a routine operation near Ramallah, when one of them was attacked and wounded by a Palestinian wielding a knife," a spokeswoman said.

"His comrades responded by opening fire, wounding three Palestinians," she adding, saying all of them had been taken to hospitals in Israel.

"The circumstances of the whole incident are being investigated."