Palestinian gunman shoots dead Israeli in the West Bank

Violence flared in the occupied West Bank on Sunday when a suspected Palestinian gunman shot dead an Israeli man, police said, and Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian motorist who the military said was attempting to run them over.

The gunman opened fire from his vehicle at Israelis gathered at a spring near the settlement of Neve Tzuf, near Ramallah, according to the Israeli military and police.

Medics who arrived at the scene of the shooting said they found a man in a car suffering from critical gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at hospital, police said.

The gunman was located a few hours later at a hospital in Ramallah and arrested, police said.

Shortly after the shooting, the military said that its forces "eliminated" a Palestinian driver who had attempted a ramming attack on soldiers near the settlement of Ganim, further north in the West Bank. No soldiers were hurt, it said. Reuters was not able to immediately verify the soldiers' account.

Following the incidents, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed security agencies to beef up their forces and carry out arrests and offensive activities in the area.

Hamas praised the shooting attack but did not claim responsibility for it.