Israel: Shooting near police HQ in Jerusalem wounds 8

A Palestinian motorist launched a shooting spree near the Israeli police headquarters in Jerusalem on Sunday, wounding eight people, two of them seriously, before being shot dead, Israeli police and emergency services said.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attacker sped toward a busy stop of the city's light rail and opened fire, seriously wounding a woman waiting there.

He then continued driving and shot another woman who was seated in her car before speeding off toward an Arab neighbourhood in east Jerusalem.

Samri said police officers on motorcycles chased the assailant, who eventually stepped out of his vehicle and opened fire at them. A police officer was critically wounded in the shootout.

A separate police force ultimately shot and killed the attacker, Samri said.

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said it was treating eight wounded people, of which two were in a critical condition.

Police said they have closed down the area of the shooting. Part of the light rail service was also halted.

A spate of Palestinian assaults, mainly stabbings, has killed 34 Israelis and two visiting Americans since it began just over a year ago, around the Jewish high holidays.

About 218 Palestinians have been killed during that period. Israel says the vast majority of them were attackers.

Israel blames the violence on a Palestinian campaign of lies and incitement. The Palestinians say it derives from frustration over nearly 50 years of occupation.