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BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- An IED was planted and detonated at the Hizma checkpoint in the occupied West Bank north of Jerusalem near the illegal settlement of Pisgat Zeev Tuesday evening, wounding an Israeli soldier, according to the Israeli army.

The soldier was reportedly seriously wounded in the blast that occurred after he inspected a suspicious object near the checkpoint, and was evacuated to Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem for emergency medical treatment.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an that Israeli forces were still unaware of the identity of the suspect responsible for planting the explosive device.

The incident at the checkpoint occurred after the Israeli authorities announced they would impose a closure on all checkpoints in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip while Israel celebrates its independence day.

Earlier on Tuesday, two elderly Israeli women were reportedly stabbed in an Israeli settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. Two suspects were later detained and subsequently released in connection to the attack.

More than 200 Palestinians and almost 30 Israelis have been killed since since a wave of unrest spread across the occupied Palestinian territory in October, although the number of Palestinian and Israeli deaths saw a dramatic drop over the last two months, with Israeli leadership suggesting its severe security measures were responsible for the emerging trend.

However, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found in a poll last month that support for stabbing attacks had seen a decline in the West Bank in recent months -- "due, it seems, to a rising perception in its inefficacy."