Palestinian kills 2 Israelis, wounds toddler in Jerusalem

A Palestinian man fatally stabbed two Israelis and wounded two more, including a toddler, inJerusalem's Old City on Saturday before police shot and killed him in the latest in a series of deadly Palestinian attacks.

The Palestinian man stabbed an Israeli man, his wife and toddler before going after another man, the Associated Press reported. The attacker took a gun from one of the men, which he then used to shoot at police and tourists.

The two Israeli men died from their injuries. A woman in her 40s was in serious condition and the 2-year-old toddler suffered minor injuries, Haaretz reported.

Tensions have been rising in the region in recent weeks, mainly around the religious site known to Jews as Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, home to the Al-Aqsa mosque. The outer wall of the temple compound is the Jewish holy site known as the Western Wall.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told The Jerusalem Post the attack happened around 7:30 p.m. local time when the attacker began stabbing the family as they walked past Lion's Gate, en route to the Western Wall. Police later identified the dead suspect as Muhannad Halabi, a 19-year-old from Al Bireh, near Ramallah, AP reported.