JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday shot and killed a knife-wielding Palestinian assailant who broke into his home and stabbed him, the Israeli military said.

An army spokeswoman said the attack took place in the Teneh Omarim settlement in the southern West Bank, close to the Palestinian city of Hebron. The Palestinian health ministry named the dead man as Saad Qisiah, 24, from nearby Dahariyah.

The settler was not seriously hurt, the army said.

At least 236 Palestinians have been killed in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza in a period of sporadic violence that began in October 2015 but has tapered off significantly in recent months.

Israel says at least 159 of those Palestinians killed were assailants, while the others died during clashes and protests. Two American tourists and 37 Israelis have also been killed since October 2015.