Six killed in fresh wave of violence in Israel

Six people have been killed in the spate of Israeli-Palestinian violence in two separate incidents.

Three Israelis were stabbed to death in a Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday.

The incident took place just hours after three Palestinians were killed in violence prompted by Israel's installation of metal detectors at entry points to the Noble Sanctuary-Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem's walled Old City.

The region has been plagued by multiple waves of stabbings, shootings, and car-rammings in recent years.

Tensions between Israel and Palestine reached a new height as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced the freezing of contacts with Israel "on all levels.”

The decision was made after two incidents took place within just one day. Three Palestinians were killed, and dozens were injured during clashes with Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem.

Just a few hours after, two Israeli men and one woman were stabbed to death in a Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The three victims were all members of the same family. Local media identified the attacker as a 19-year-old Palestinian.

Tensions over Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque have lingered for days. On July 14, three Palestinian-Arab citizens of Israel opened fire near the gates of the al-Aqsa compound, killing two Israeli policemen.

Immediately after the incident, Israel shut down the compound. On July 16, Israeli authorities reopened the compound after imposing security measures there, including new metal detectors. Four people were injured after clashes erupted between worshipers and police.

So far there's been no comments from the Israeli side, which repeatedly pledges to maintain the status quo, while Palestinians refuse to enter the Temple Mount unless the metal detectors are removed.

(CGTN)