Israel says a Palestinian vehicle targeted Israeli soldiers on a highway in the West Bank, prompting troops to open fire, killing two Palestinians inside.

The military says an officer and border policeman were injured when the Palestinian car rammed into a group of Israeli troops, running them over on a road outside a village near the city of Ramallah.

The officer was seriously injured and hospitalised.

The military says a third Palestinian inside the car was wounded and taken into custody.

Since 2015, Palestinians have killed over 50 Israelis in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks and Israeli forces have killed over 260 Palestinians in that same period.

Israel has described most of the Palestinians killed as attackers, but occasional clashes have also turned deadly.