Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian teen wielding a knife on Saturday in the occupied West Bank, police said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the teenager had been killed. There was no other comment from Palestinian officials.

A 17-year-old Palestinian approached a group of Israeli paramilitary policemen stationed at a West Bank junction, holding what appeared to be a bag, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said, and the troops then called on him to stop.

Israel blames the violence on incitement by the Palestinian leadership. The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, says desperation over the 50-year occupation of land sought by Palestinians for a state is the cause.

Palestinians want to establish an independent state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. The last round of peace talks broke down in 2014.