Israel: woman soldier badly wounded in West Bank shooting

An Israeli woman soldier was badly wounded on Sunday in a gun attack on a highway in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said.

They said a gunman left a car and opened fire on vehicles at the Nabi Elias Junction on Highway 55 before fleeing.

"Troops and an Israeli Air Force aircraft... are encircling the area and are continuing to pursue the terrorist," the military said in a statement.

The soldier -- who the Israeli media said was aged 19 -- was "severely injured" and a civilian lightly hurt, the military added.

At least 459 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank since the war broke out, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.

At least 17 Israeli soldiers and civilians have been killed in attacks there over the same period, say the Israeli authorities.