RAMALLAH — Two Israeli women have been killed and another seriously injured in a shooting attack in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military and medics say.

The women were in a car that crashed after being shot at near the settlement of Hamra, in the Jordan Valley.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said two women in their 20s were declared dead at the scene. The third, who is 45, is in a critical condition.

The military said its troops had "started a pursuit of the terrorists".

The incident was initially reported as a collision between an Israeli vehicle and a Palestinian vehicle, but when troops arrived they found several bullet holes in the Israeli vehicle, the military said.

The injured woman was taken by helicopter to hospital for treatment.

There has been an intensification of violence between Israel and the Palestinians since the start of this year.

More than 90 Palestinians - militants and civilians - have been killed by Israeli forces. On the Israeli side, 16 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks, all civilians, except for a paramilitary police officer. — BBC