JERUSALEM, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Five Israeli soldiers were injured in the West Bank on Saturday in an incident suspected by the army as a car-ramming attack, a military spokesperson said on Sunday.

The driver fled the scene, triggering a manhunt. He and his father were arrested before dawn and taken for questioning, the army said in a statement.

The incident took place near Hizma, a town southeast of Ramallah.

"An initial inquiry... suggests that the incident was a car-ramming attack," read the statement.

"The assailant spotted the troops, who were stationed by the side of the road during operational activity, before ramming his vehicle into them," according to the statement.

A female soldier and two male soldiers were moderately injured in the incident and two were slightly injured. All five were evacuated to a hospital for further medical treatment.

"The Israel Defense Forces will continue operating to preserve security in the area and will operate to thwart attacks and capture terrorists," the army said.

Israel has seized the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war and has controlled it ever since, despite international criticism.

The incident took place amid raising tensions between Israel and the Palestinians over the failure of the White House to revive the long-stalled peace talks.