A Palestinian died during an Israeli army operation in the southern West Bank before dawn on Tuesday as he handled a makeshift explosive, while troops shot a woman who allegedly tried to stab a soldier.

Both incidents occurred in the Hebron area with tensions running high ahead of the Yom Kippur and Eid al-Adha holidays and after three days of clashes rocked Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound last week.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said the Palestinian man was killed by an explosive device he intended to toss at a military vehicle. Residents provided a similar account.