A Palestinian assailant wearing a press vest has been shot dead after stabbing an Israeli soldier in the West Bank in the latest of a spree of attacks that have sent the tormented region further down a spiral of violence. The incident was reported in the settlement of Kiryat Arba, near Hebron.

Images from the scene uploaded on social media depict a man wearing a bright yellow vest and a T-shirt with the word "press" emblazoned across the chest lying injured on the ground while brandishing what appears to be a knife, surrounded by Israeli soldiers.

#BREAKING: Israeli stabbed by #Palestinian wearing a PRESS vest near #Hebron: moderetaly wounded - attacker killed pic.twitter.com/NG0GXjKxk8 — Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) October 16, 2015

The attack was filmed by a crew with the Hamas linked al-Quds TV network, sparking unconfirmed reports the stabber was an employee of the broadcaster. The injured soldier was said to have suffered moderate wounds. Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld tweeted:

Kiryat Arba- Terrorist stabbed Israeli ,injured moderately. Terrorist shot at scene. Terrorist was wearing Journalist vest at time of attack — Micky Rosenfeld (@MickyRosenfeld) October 16, 2015

On the night of 15 October, Palestinian youth (shabaab) set fire to the Joseph's Tomb shrine in Nablus, as Islamist group and Gaza ruler Hamas called for a day of rage against Israel. About 100 people attacked the tomb of the biblical patriarch, a holy site for Jews, Samaritans and Christians, throwing Molotov cocktails at the compound.

Two weeks of unrest in the region have resulted in the deaths of 32 Palestinians and seven Israelis. The latest incident comes after Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas promised to US secretary John Kerry that he will calm the situation in the West Bank.

The Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Israel urged Palestinian media to verify all media credentials. "The FPA utterly deplore this violation of press privilege and call on local Palestinian media organizations to immediately verify all media credentials to ensure there are no violations," the FPA said in a statement.