RAMALLAH, July 26 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian young man was shot dead on Thursday night after he stabbed three Israelis near an Israeli settlement, south of the West Bank city of Ramallah, the Israeli army and the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

An Israeli army spokesman said in a press statement that the man was shot dead right after he carried out a stabbing attack in the settlement of Adam near Ramallah and wounded three Israelis.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank said in a short press statement that the identity of the Palestinian young man was still unknown.

Israeli media reported that the Palestinian young man went into one of the houses in the settlement and stabbed three people, two of them in critical condition and the third slightly injured.

The reports said that the three Israelis were immediately taken to an Israeli hospital for medical treatment.

Palestinian social media activists published photos of the young man, which showed that he was called Ahmad Abu Ayoosh, 17 years old, from the village of Koober, north of Ramallah.

Israeli media reported that the Israeli army was chasing a local car in the area which was believed to be carrying another Palestinian who provided assistance to the Palestinian who stabbed the three Israelis.