JERUSALEM, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Israel's police said Sunday that police officers thwarted a stabbing attack after detaining a Palestinian youth at a holy site in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The incident took place at a flashpoint holy site in the city of Hebron, known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs and to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque.

The police said in a statement that the youth arrived at a checkpoint outside the site alongside a group of tourists, manned by Israeli Border Police. The officers noted his behavior was different from others in the group and called him to stop.

The officers then pointed their weapons at the suspect before he dropped a large kitchen knife hidden in his clothes.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld identified the suspect as a 20-year-old man from Hebron and said he was taken to custody.

"Regular police operations continue in the area to prevent attacks from taking place," Rosenfeld said.

The incident came less than a week after Israeli security personnel shot to death a young Palestinian woman after she allegedly attempted to stab them at the A'zaim checkpoint east of Jerusalem.

It came also amidst an ongoing surge of violence in the West Bank, which Israel says is stoked by the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinians say is the result of 52 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.