Israeli troops shoot knife-wielding Palestinian woman in West Bank, army says

A knife-wielding Palestinian woman threatened an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank and was shot on Wednesday, the army said, and a local hospital said she died of her wounds.

In a statement, the Israeli army said "an assailant armed with a knife advanced toward an IDF (Israel Defence Force) soldier who was conducting routine security activity".

"The soldiers responded with live fire," it said.

Reuters could not immediate corroborate that account. A hospital in the nearby Palestinian city of Hebron confirmed the woman's death.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club said the 31-year-old woman killed near Al Aroub village had been briefly jailed by Israel earlier this year. It did not immediately elaborate.

Violence in the West Bank, among territories where Palestinians seek statehood, has simmered since US-sponsored peace talks stalled in 2014.

Recent weeks have seen an escalation, including deadly Palestinian attacks inside Israel.