An Israeli soldier was lightly injured in a stabbing attack near the central bus station in Ashkelon on Sunday morning.

The attack occurred on Ben Gurion Boulevard - a main thoroughfare in the southern coastal city.

The 20-year-old soldier was evacuated to the city's Barzilai Hospital with stab wounds to the upper body.

Magen David Adom paramedic Ariel Plaut described the scene: "We were driving when suddenly citizens signaled us to stop. We noticed a young man of about 20 sitting on a bench, fully conscious, with several stab wounds to the upper body."

"We put him in the ambulance and gave him medical treatment while evacuating him to the hospital," Plaut added. "His condition is light and he spoke with us on the way (to the hospital)."

A soldier who witnessed the attack grabbed the victim's weapon and began to chase after the assailant, eventually catching up to him on Khasida Street and neutralizing him.

The stabber, identified as a Sudanese foreign national, was evacuated to the hospital in serious condition, and was later declared dead.

Security forces are working under the estimation the stabbing was nationally-motivated, i.e. a terrorist attack.

On Saturday, a 65-year-old Israeli woman was stabbed while shopping at the market in Rahat. The Arab terrorist fled the scene and police forces are continuing to search for him.

An attempted shooting attack was also reported over Shabbat near Ariel in Samaria. No injuries or damage were reported.