American Teen Among Five Dead in Attacks in Israel and West Bank

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An American teenager was among at least five people killed in separate attacks in Israel and the West Bank that also left several others injured, officials said today.

An 18-year-old American was killed in an attack in the West Bank, according to Israeli police. A U.S. consulate official told ABC News that they "are aware of reports that U.S. citizens were injured in an attack in the West Bank today, but we have no information to confirm these reports at this time."

The teen killed in Israel has been identified as Ezra Schwartz, ABC News has learned. Schwartz was a recent graduate of Maimonides School in Brookline, Massachusetts, who was spending a year studying abroad in Israel. The head of Schwartz's school, Naty Katz, released a statement saying the entire "community is profoundly saddened" by his death and also extended thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and classmates.

"We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen today in the West Bank," said John Kirby, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department. "We extend our condolences to his family and friends. Out of respect for the privacy of the family, we have no further details to share."

In the first attack today, a Palestinian stabbed two Israelis to death and one person was wounded in a busy commercial area on Ben Tzvi road in southern Tel Aviv, authorities said. At the time of the assault, victims were reportedly praying.

Later in the day in the West Bank, near a Jewish settlement, an attacker opened fire and then crashed a car into pedestrians, according to the Israeli military. In addition to the American teenager, two other people were killed, including one Palestinian, one Israeli and several others were injured.

Both Palestinian assailants in the two attacks were detained by officials. The attacks were some of the first acts of violence in nearly three weeks in Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories after a wave of violence last month.

The Israeli death toll now stands at 17 since a wave of violence began in October, according to the Israeli government. At least 82 Palestinians have been killed in that period.

"Nothing can justify terrorism. Too many innocent people have died in this current wave of violence," a spokesperson for the European Union said in a statement. "Today's attacks only highlight further the need for all sides to do their utmost to prevent further violence."

Police said they remain concerned about the unrest and are urging all sides to restore calm and prevent further actions that might escalate tensions.

American Teen Among Five Dead in Attacks in Israel and West Bank