A Palestinian militant was arrested Monday after allegedly attempting to stab an Israeli soldier at a security checkpoint near the West Bank city of Tulkarm.

The man shouted at the checkpoint that he "wants to harm Jews" and pulled out a knife, an Israeli army spokeswoman said, adding that the man was subdued by soldiers at the scene and was put in custody for investigation.

Meanwhile, security forces arrested eight Palestinians suspected of security-related offenses across the West Bank overnight Sunday, including in Tulkarm, Bethlehem and Hebron. One of the suspects, who was arrested in a village in the Ramallah area, is a Hamas operative, the army said.

Also on Monday, two Palestinians who crossed the southern Gaza security fence into Israel were caught and taken for questioning.

Last week, Israel's Shin Bet security service announced that it had arrested a five-member West Bank terror cell that plotted a suicide bombing in the Tel Aviv area and other attacks, including the abduction of a soldier.

The arrests were made in October and November, the Shin Bet said in a statement, adding that the thwarting of the cell was an evidence of the close links between Hamas' military wing in the the Gaza Strip and militant cells operating in the West Bank. Endit

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