Tel Aviv: Seven injured in Palestinian car-ramming and stabbing attack

A Palestinian man has injured at least seven people in a car-ramming and stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, Israeli police say.

A police spokesperson said the "terrorist" rammed into pedestrians and then tried to stab them with a sharp object. He was shot dead by a civilian.

Three of the injured were in a serious condition, the spokesperson added.

The attacker has been identified as a Palestinian from the occupied West Bank who was a known Hamas activist.

The Palestinian militant group praised the attack, saying it was a "natural response" to the ongoing major Israeli military operation in Jenin refugee camp, in the northern West Bank.

At least 10 Palestinians are said to have been killed since hundreds of Israeli troops, backed by drone strikes, entered the camp on Monday morning, triggering intense gun battles with militants inside.

The Israeli military said that while it was "operating to maintain stability in the Jenin camp by targeting the terrorist infrastructure, our civilians are consequently being targeted by terrorism".

CCTV footage from the scene of the attack in Tel Aviv shows pedestrians and customers of a cafe running for cover as a pick-up truck hits a bus stop on Pinchas Rosen Street.

The driver is seen climbing out of the vehicle's window and running runs towards a man standing near the cafe, who he appears to stab several times. He then chases after other people on the pavement.

A second video appears to shows another man wearing a motorcycle helmet shooting the attacker several times with a pistol as he lies on the ground.

The Israeli police spokesperson said three of the victims were in a serious condition, two were in a moderate condition and two were in a mild condition.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it had treated a 47-year-old woman who was in a serious condition, with multiple systemic injuries.

"I would like to praise the activity of the citizen with a lot of courage, that he was able to thwart the attack and prevent the continuation of that terrorist's killing spree," Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai told reporters at the scene, according to the Jerusalem Post newspaper.

He also said investigations were still being carried out into the attacker.

The Shin Bet security service said he was a Palestinian from the southern West Bank village of Samu who did not have "a previous security background" and who did not have a permit to enter Israel.

Since the start of the year, more than 140 Palestinians - both militants and civilians - have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, while another 36 have been killed in the Gaza Strip.

Twenty-four Israelis, two foreigners and a Palestinian worker have been killed in attacks or apparent attacks by Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank over the same period. All were civilians except one off-duty serving soldier and a member of the Israeli security forces.