in her own home by a Palestinian


A pregnant Israeli woman was stabbed and seriously wounded by a Palestinian man in the West Bank on Monday, Israeli officials say.

The attacker entered the settlement in Tekoa, Gush Etzion and stabbed the 30-year-old woman, before he was shot by Israeli security.

The woman suffered injuries to her upper body, and was taken to hospital for further treatment, said Eli Bin, the head of Israel's rescue service MDA.

Attack: The pregnant 30-year-old was attacked in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Tekoa, and suffered injuries to her upper body, while the assailant, a Palestinian man, was shot

Injured: The attacker lies on the floor and is treated by Israeli medics after being shot

Hospital: He was then carried away on a stretcher. His wounds are not believed to be life-threatening

There were conflicting reports on the attacker's condition, with Israeli medics saying he had been taken to hospital and Palestinian officials reporting him dead.

The incident follows an attack on Sunday that saw a 38-year-old Israeli woman stabbed to death by a Palestinian who broke into her home in another West Bank settlement.

Dafna Meir, a mother-of-six, was stabbed to death, with the assailant fleeing. At least some of her children, aged four to 17, were home at the time, but were not hurt.

Grief: The husband and children of Dafna Meir, 38, walk to her funeral in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Otniel after she was stabbed to death in her home on Sunday

Violence: It is the first time an Israeli had been attacked inside their home since the latest wave of violence

Today her husband and four of her children sobbed and were comforted by relatives as they laid her to rest.

The killing was the latest in a months-long wave of violence - but it was the first inside a Jewish settlement home, provoking fears that the attacks were worsening and that Israel would impose a harsh security crackdown on Palestinians.

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

These attacks are the latest in a four month-long wave of violence that shows no sign of abating. Palestinian attacks have killed 25 Israelis and an American student.

At least 146 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, of whom 101 are said by Israel to have been attackers. The rest have been in clashes with Israeli troops.

Israel's government has come under heavy pressure over the spate of attacks, and Sunday's killing was likely to further raise tensions.

Some analysts say the attacks have been in part driven by frustration with the complete lack of progress in peace efforts, Israel's occupation of the West Bank and their own fractured Palestinian leadership.

Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and news media has been a main cause of the violence.

Israeli soldiers control an access to the Palestinian village of Karma, south-west of the flashpoint city of Hebron in the southern West Bank, following the murder of Dafna Meir in the nearby Otniel Israeli settlement