Among those wounded, there were 15 soldiers and four civilians, said Micky Rosenfeld, adding that nobody was killed in the vehicle attack.

All the victims sustained minor to moderate injuries and had been rushed to hospital for treatment. The driver was shot and killed by armed civilians, according to the police.

The perpetrator was not immediately identified, but Rosenfeld said that according to the vehicle number, the car was from a village in East Jerusalem.

The wording of the police statement indicated it was believed the driver was a Palestinian, said local daily Ha'aretz.

The police are now investigating the incident, said Rosenfeld, adding that police had got no intelligence before the attack.

The intersection is situated near Jerusalem's Old City.

Palestinians who lived in Jerusalem carried out at least two attacks within recent weeks, using heavy construction machinery, killing three people and wounding many others, according to media reports.