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NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Thursday shot and killed a Palestinian at the Zaatara (Tappuah) military checkpoint south of Nablus after he reportedly attempted to stab an Israeli soldier, Israeli police said.

Israeli police spokesperson Luba al-Samri said in a statement that a taxi stopped suddenly at the checkpoint and a passenger exited the vehicle, attempting to stab an Israeli soldier.

Israeli forces on site shot the man several times before he was pronounced dead, and began chasing the taxi that brought the man to the checkpoint, al-Samri said.

Earlier Thursday, a 21-year-old Palestinian, Yahya Yusri Taha, was killed by Israeli soldiers when clashes broke out during a search and arrest raid in the town of Qatanna.

Locals told Ma'an that Taha was shot in the head and left on the ground bleeding for more than an hour-and-a-half while Israeli soldiers denied Palestinian ambulances access to the young man to administer medical treatment.

Thursday’s incident at Zaatara marks the third Palestinian to be shot dead at checkpoints around Nablus this week.

Two Palestinians -- both 16 years of age -- were killed at the Huwwara checkpoint earlier this week after allegedly attempting to carry out attacks.

No Israelis were injured in either incident.

At least 99 Palestinians have been killed since the start of last month, the majority of whom were killed during attempted, alleged, and actual attacks on Israeli military and civilians.

Nineteen Israelis have been killed in attacks during the same time period.

Israeli authorities have been criticized for their response to an increase in individual Palestinian attacks, arguing that security forces have carried out “summary executions” of Palestinians who did not pose a threat at the time of their death.

On Monday, an Israeli security guard shot a 16-year-old Palestinian girl several times after she was knocked to the ground, killing her, when and her cousin reportedly chased the security officer with scissors.

Israeli rights group B’Tselem on Wednesday called on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the use of lethal force against “people who either harmed, tried to harm, or were suspected of trying to harm others, once they no longer posed any danger.”

“During your term of office, a new pseudo-normative reality has effectively emerged, in which a ‘shoot to kill’ approach must always be adopted, no matter the circumstances, even when the suspect no longer poses any danger whatsoever,” the rights group said.

B’Tselem attributed the current policy to “inflammatory statements by senior members” of the Knesset, members who the group said draw support from the PM’s silence on the matter.