Twelve people have been wounded after a man went on a stabbing spree on a bus in Tel Aviv.

Three of the wounded are in a serious condition in hospital. They are believed to have sustained wounds in the neck and head.

The attacker was later shot at by police and is currently in custody. The incident took place in Derech Menachem Begin, a major thoroughfare in south Tel Aviv.

The assailant, identified by Israeli police as an Arab, was on foot and was shot by police in his leg when he attempted to flee.

Police say they are working with the Shin Bet security service to check whether the suspect has accomplices.

According to Tel Aviv District Police chief Bentzi Sau, the attacker is from the West Bank city of Tulkarem and is in Israel illegally.

The incident is being treated as a "terror attack", added the police.