A Palestinian protester tries to hammer a hole through the Israeli barrier that separates the West Bank town of Abu Dis from Jerusalem, during clashes with Israeli troops October 28, 2015. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Israeli security forces shot dead on Saturday a knife-wielding Palestinian woman who tried to stab an Israeli soldier on guard near a sensitive West Bank holy site sacred to Jews and Muslims in the occupied West Bank, Israel’s military said.

“An assailant drew a knife and attempted to stab a soldier,” it said. “Responding to the attack, forces fired at the perpetrator, resulting in her death”, the army said in a statement.

The incident, which led to wounding the Israeli soldier and a Palestinian bystander occurred near the Cave of the Patriarchs in the city of Hebron, a flashpoint for several attacks in the five-month surge of violence.

The Palestinian man, who had tried to stop the woman from attacking the soldier, was given medical aid at the scene and then rushed to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem for further treatment. The soldier was taken to a hospital for treatment, the military said.

Ongoing violence since mid-September- stabbings, shootings and car-rammings- have killed 27 Israelis and 157 Palestinians at least.

The surge in attacks has been partly fueled by Palestinian frustration over the failure of U.S.-sponsored peace talks in 2014, and the growth of Jewish settlements on land they seek for a future state.