JERUSALEM: Two Israeli soldiers were killed and another two wounded in Friday’s Palestinian car-ramming attack in the occupied West Bank, the military said in a statement.

It said one of the dead was an officer and the other was a conscript.

The four were struck when a car rammed into a group of Israelis near the settlement of Mevo Dotan near Jenin in the northern West Bank.

The Israeli army said a Palestinian “ran over (Israeli) soldiers who were securing routes adjacent to the community of Mevo Dotan.” The attacker was arrested and taken to hospital, the statement added.

The Israeli army typically does not confirm the deaths of its soldiers until the families have been notified.

Tensions were high on Friday after Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas called for a day of rage to commemorate 100 days since US President Donald Trump’s controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Hamas praised the attack but did not claim responsibility for it.

At least 31 Palestinians and four Israelis have been killed since Trump’s announcement, which set off major protests.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2018