A Palestinian man killed one woman and injured up to 18 others in a stabbing and car-ramming attack in the central Israeli city of Raanana today, Israeli media said.

‘A wounded woman who arrived in a critical condition after having been hit by a vehicle has died of her injuries despite our efforts to save her,’ said a statement from Meir hospital, near Raanana.

Army Radio said the incident may have been a car-jacking during which the stolen vehicle crashed, citing witness testimony.

An official police statement said the suspect had been detained and the incident is now being investigated. 

The suspected attacker was described as a Palestinian from the West Bank city of Hebron, with police telling Israeli media he stole a total of three cars.

A second man, a relative of the suspect has also been arrested.

The incident came amid heightened security tensions over Israel’s war with Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza.

Eli Levy, police spokesperson, told Army Radio: ‘We still cannot declare with certainty that this was a terrorist attack.’

He said he it was also unclear exactly how many people had been involved in the incident.