A Palestinian drove his car into Israeli forces in the northern West Bank on Thursday before being shot dead, the Israeli army said.

"A Palestinian attacker rammed his vehicle into forces securing routes near Huwara and wounded a soldier," an army statement said, referring to a checkpoint near Nablus in the north of the occupied West Bank.

"The assailant was shot by forces on site, resulting in his death."

Family members later identified the attacker as 22-year-old Hassan Bazour.

Israeli medical services said they were treating a soldier who was lightly wounded.

The attack was the latest in three months of assaults by Palestinians on Israelis, as well as clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli soldiers.
Since the violence erupted at the start of October 137 Palestinians, 20 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean have been killed, according to a AFP count.

The majority of the Palestinians were killed while carrying out attacks.

Huwara, to the south of Nablus, has been among the flashpoints. Two Palestinians were shot dead on Sunday in the area after stabbing an Israeli soldier.

Israel has been holding dozens of attackers' bodies, a policy that has been criticised by rights groups. On Thursday, it turned over a number of bodies to the Palestinian authorities.
The IDF returned bodies of eight Palestinian assailants who attacked Israeli civilians and security forces in the past months," an army spokeswoman said.

According to the United Nations 170 Palestinians and 26 Israelis were killed since the start of the year until December 28 in attacks and clashes.

During that same period more than 15,000 Palestinians and 350 Israelis were wounded, the UN said on Wednesday.
Source: AFP