Two Palestinians killed after alleged car attacks

Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinians after they allegedly rammed their cars into soldiers in separate attacks in the West Bank on Friday as the Israeli defense minister urged Israelis to brace themselves for more violence, saying he cannot see an end to the alleged Palestinian attacks.

Near the city of Hebron, a Palestinian allegedly slammed his car into a group of Israeli soldiers wounding six, before being shot dead, a military spokesman said.

A few hours earlier another Palestinian allegedly rammed his car into Israeli soldiers at a bus stop near a Jewish settlement, police said. He was shot dead by a civilian and two Israeli soldiers were injured.

Friday's attacks were the latest in the recent surge in violence that broke out in September after Israel imposed restrictions on worshipers at Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. After the restrictions were implemented, four Israelis were killed in two attacks blamed on Palestinians. Israeli settlers in the West Bank responded by rioting, assaulting Palestinians and destroying their property. A spate of protests, clashes and stabbings have ensued.

Since mid-September, at least 96 Palestinians and 19 Israelis have been killed. More than 2,000 Palestinians have also been injured in clashes with Israeli forces, forcing the Red Crescent to declare an emergency.

Palestinian protesters are calling for unrestricted access to worship at Al-Aqsa, a site also revered by Jews as the location of two ancient temples. The protesters also demand an end to Israel’s decades-long military occupation of the Palestinian territories and the cessation of settlement building, both of which are illegal under international law.

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon on Friday told Israelis to be prepared for more attacks by Palestinians.

"This terror wave will accompany us in the coming days, the coming weeks and maybe longer than that," Yaalon said at a conference in the Red Sea resort of Eilat.

"It might escalate and therefore we need to prepare," Yaalon was quoted as saying by the Army Radio's website.

Hebron, where Friday’s killings occurred, is the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank and a frequent flashpoint for violence. Many of the Palestinians involved in the current round of violence have come from there. Tensions have been running high in Hebron, where some 850 Jewish settlers live amid tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Al Jazeera and wire services