The hunt is under way for the driver of a car that has left one Israeli soldier in a critical condition and wounded 11 others in a suspected car-ramming attack in Jerusalem.

The vehicle rammed the group of Golani Brigade soldiers in the early hours of Thursday morning in First Station, a popular leisure spot with bars and restaurants.

The driver fled the scene but the car was later found abandoned in a town outside Bethlehem.

A Magen David Adom medic who attended the scene said three victims were lying in the street, while the others were standing; one was “unconscious”, he said.

Tensions have increased after the publication of US peace proposals, which to the fury of the Palestinians would allow Israel to annex a large swathe of land in the West Bank.

A Palestinian youth was shot dead after clashes with Israeli forces in Jenin during Wednesday night and seven other Palestinians were reported wounded.

Hamas has called for escalating resistance to the “occupation and its settlers”.

Meanwhile, Israeli jets struck Syrian army and Iranian-backed militia targets around Damascus overnight.

While Syrian state media reported eight wounded, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a dozen people had been killed.