Israeli soldiers gather next to a vehicle belonging to a Palestinian man after he reportedly charged it into a group of soldiers at the Israeli army Hawara checkpoint near the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank on July 31, 2016. (AFP/Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Israeli security forces said they shot and killed a Palestinian knifeman who attempted to stab soldiers at a West Bank checkpoint on Sunday.

"An assailant armed with a knife exited his vehicle and charged soldiers at the entrance to Nablus," a military spokesperson said in a statement sent to Xinhua.

According to the spokesperson, the troops responded with live fire, killing the suspect at the site.

The incident was the latest in a wave of violence which started in mid-September and has claimed the lives of at least 219 Palestinians and 34 Israelis.

Israel accuses the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" attacks against Israelis. The Palestinians say the violence is the result of more than 49 years of occupation of their lands and accuse Israel of excessive use of force, resulting in the killing of Palestinians who posed no danger to the Israeli forces.