NILIN, West Bank A Palestinian truck driver killed an Israeli soldier and injured two others in a ramming attack on a checkpoint on the boundary with the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Israeli police and medical officials said.

The driver was shot and wounded by troops following a pursuit between Maccabim checkpoint and the Palestinian village of Nilin, a police commander said. The commander described the driver as a 41-year-old who had a permit to work in Israel.

The Islamist militant group Hamas, which has stepped up attacks in the West Bank in a challenge to Israel and the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, described the incident as an "heroic operation" but did not claim credit.

The West Bank, among areas where Palestinians seek statehood, has seen a surge of violence in recent months.

(Writing by Dan Williams and Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Alex Richardson)