Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian woman for allegedly attempting to carry out a stabbing attack in the Old City of the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.

Israeli police spokeswoman Luba al-Samri claimed in a statement that the woman was shot dead on Wednesday afternoon after she allegedly attempted to stab police officers near the entrance to the Old City's Damascus Gate.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the slain Palestinian woman as 49-year-old Saham Ratib Nimr from East Jerusalem al-Quds.

Palestinian sources said that Israeli forces denied paramedics’ access to the victim for medical treatment.

The Israeli regime forces had shot dead Saham’s son, Mustafa Nimr, at Shuafat refugee camp, northeast of Jerusalem al-Quds, in September last year, alleging that he had tried to carry out a car ramming attack.

This combo photo shows Saham Ratib Nimr and her son, Mustafa Nimr. (Via Twitter)

Over the past months, Israeli forces have fatally shot many Palestinians in the occupied territories, claiming they sought to attack the Israelis.

Israel has come under fire by rights groups for encouraging a shoot-to-kill policy.

In January, Human Rights Watch voiced its deep concern over the increasing number of Israeli officials encouraging troops to kill Palestinians even when they are not a threat.

The rights group released a report on January 2 documenting numerous statements since October 2015 by senior Israeli officials calling on police and military to shoot dead suspected Palestinian attackers.

“It’s not just about potentially rogue soldiers, but also about senior Israeli officials who publicly tell forces to unlawfully shoot to kill," said Sari Bashi, the Israel/Palestine advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.

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The report noted that since October 2015, there had been over 150 confirmed instances of Israeli forces lethally shooting Palestinian children and adults allegedly suspected of attempting to attack Israelis.