Sharjah24 - AFP: Gunmen wounded six Israeli soldiers and a civilian on Sunday when they sprayed bullets at a bus in the occupied West Bank, the army said.

The attack in the Jordan Valley, near the city of Tubas, comes amid a spate of violence in the West Bank in recent days and a shooting spree last month targeting an Israeli bus in annexed east Jerusalem.

It also follows months of often deadly Israeli army raids in the West Bank, many targeting Palestinian militants in the Nablus and Jenin areas -- both near Tubas.

Two suspects were arrested soon after Sunday's attack near the burnt-out remains of the vehicle they were thought to have used, and guns were found lying on the dirt road nearby. The bus's windscreen was peppered with dozens of bullet holes and a side window was smashed.

The Israeli military said one soldier was seriously wounded and five others and a civilian suffered lighter injuries.

Matti Carmi, from the Magen David Adom emergency medical services, said "two gunshots victims" were treated outside the bus.

The two were both conscious and were airlifted to hospital in the Israeli coastal city of Haifa.

Three others wounded by flying glass were transported to another hospital in northern Israel, the MDA said.

Defence Minister Benny Gantz said security forces "immediately went in pursuit and got their hands on suspects in the attack".

The army said security forces were "continuing the searches" after two armed suspects were detained.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid praised rescue and security forces "who acted swiftly and with determination" to treat casualties and apprehended the suspects.

"We will continue to put our hands on anyone who tries to inflict harm on Israeli civilians and soldiers," he said on Twitter.

Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, praised the shooting as a "heroic" operation.