Palestinian acid attack wounds six in Gush Etzion, including children, south of Jerusalem; terrorist shot and wounded.

A terrorist attacked a Jewish family with acid in the Gush Etzion region south of Jerusalem Friday, wounding six people including a number of young children.

According to Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics, the mother of the family and three young girls between the ages of 8 and 10 were injured in the lower extremities in the attack. Their injuries are described as light.

The father, a man in his forties, suffered light-to-moderate injuries to his face and eyes.

The sixth victim is believed to be another hitchhiker, and his condition has been described as "moderate".

The victims are apparently residents of Beitar, and are being treated at Jerusalem's Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital.

According to a police statement, the terrorist sprayed acid at the family near Hussan checkpoint, when they stopped their car to give him a ride.

He then attempted to attack another pedestrian with a screwdriver, chasing him down the road before the scene was spotted by border police, who rushed to intercept the terrorist.

Police shot the attacker, described as an Arab man in his thirties, seriously injuring him. He has also been evacuated to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital for treatment.

Shraga Hoffman, a spokesperson for the United Hatzalah emergency service, described the scene.

"When I arrived at the scene pedestrians told me that a car stopped to pick up a hitchhiker, and as they opened the car door he sprayed an unknown substance at them which gave them burns to the face. A hitchhiker was moderately injured and the family in the car were lightly injured," he said.

This latest incident comes just hours after a suspected attempted car attack in Samaria, north of Jerusalem.

In that incident, a Palestinian driver drove his car directly into a bus stop in an apparent attempt to run over a group of soldiers. However, the car smashed into a concrete barrier in front of the bus stop - a precaution implemented at stops across the country following a spate of similar car attacks - leaving the driver moderately wounded.

The soldiers escaped unharmed.