JERUSALEM, April 3, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Four Israeli police were injured in a car-ramming attack at a checkpoint in the centre of the country, police said Wednesday, adding that the assailant was killed after trying to stab other security forces.

The 26-year-old attacker crashed into four police officers at a checkpoint in the town of Kochav Yair, which borders the occupied West Bank and sits northeast of Tel Aviv.

The officers suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital, Israeli police said in a statement.

The assailant was headed towards the Eliyahu Crossing between Israel and the occupied West Bank "where he attempted to stab security agents, who neutralised him," the statement said, adding that he died at the scene.

The incident took place against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, which was triggered by the Palestinian militants' attack on Israel on October 7.