Teen Girls Shot After Jerusalem Scissors Attack

Two teenage Palestinian girls have been "neutralised" after stabbing an elderly man, police in Jerusalem said.

The girls, aged 14 and 16, attacked a 70-year-old Palestinian man with a pair of scissors outside a central Jerusalem market.

The man, who is believed to have been mistaken for an Israeli, suffered minor wounds to his head and back.

An officer at the scene shot the girls several times, killing one and seriously injured another, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said.

"Two female terrorists armed with scissors stabbed a man next to the (Mahane Yehuda) market," she said.

"An officer who observed the event approached, fired accurately and neutralised the terrorists."

A 27-year-old Israeli security guard was taken to hospital with a wound to the hand after apparently being hit by bullet shrapnel.

The stabbings are the latest in a wave of violence that erupted in Jerusalem in mid-September.

The violence has since spread across Israel into the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Eighteen Israelis have died, most of whom were the victims of Palestinian knife attacks.

At least 88 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire or in clashes with security forces. Roughly half of them have been alleged attackers.

Monday's attack comes ahead of a visit from US Secretary of State John Kerry aimed at easing tensions.

Mr Kerry is expected to met the Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Tuesday.