Israel on Tuesday arrested a Palestinian teen accused of stabbing a Jewish woman to death in the occupied West Bank and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to demolish his home after the attack provoked Israeli outrage.
Sunday's killing and another stabbing of a pregnant woman inside an Israeli settlement on Monday further boosted tensions after months of unrest, raising fears of an escalation in violence as well as a harsh Israeli crackdown on Palestinians.
Most of the previous knife attacks have occurred in public places, including checkpoints and junctions.
The fatal stabbing saw the attacker break into a family's home in the Otniel settlement and stab the woman to death while some of her children were in the house.
Even after the arrest was announced, Palestinian workers were being temporarily barred from Israeli settlements in the West Bank as part of security measures.
The arrested teen's uncle said the raid occurred in the middle of the night in the Palestinian village of Beit Amra near Otniel. He said he was 15, while Israeli media reported his age as 16.
"Dozens of soldiers came at 2:00 am (0000 GMT) to the family home, searching it extensively and arresting him," Khader Adeesh told AFP. "No one else was arrested."
He argued that his nephew was innocent, saying "he was not involved. He has no relationship with this attack. He is a young boy and couldn't do that."
Netanyahu, during a visit to Otniel and facing pressure over a wave of Palestinian attacks, pledged to destroy the house where the suspect lives with his family.
Israel regularly demolishes the homes of alleged attackers in what it describes as a deterrent. Rights groups say it amounts to collective punishment, with families forced to suffer for the acts of relatives.
Netanyahu again accused Palestinian leaders of stirring up violence.
"The hatred that caused this murder has an address," he said.
"It is the incitement campaign led by the Palestinian Authority and other elements such as the Islamic Movement and Hamas, and it is about time the international community stopped their hypocrisy and called things by their names."
