The gunman was killed during the attack at the Yavne interchange along the highway connecting Ashdod to Tel Aviv, the authorities said.

The attacker "wounded five people, including a policeman who was critically injured and then died later," an Israeli police spokesman said.

The assailant had approached the main road on foot, fatally wounding the policeman before going on a shooting rampage and wounding others.

An Israeli paramedic at the scene killed the attacker, according to Zaki Heller, a spokesman with emergency service provider Magen David Adom.

The unidentified paramedic who shot the gunman recounted that he was driving down the road, saw the assailant, then jumped out of his vehicle and shot him to media during a live interview from the scene.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir hailed the off-duty paramedic's response, saying his gun reforms had helped to save lives, in comments to the media.

The shooting comes just days after one person was killed and five wounded during a stabbing attack in the central town of Hadera before the assailant was shot by armed civilians.

And earlier this month, seven people were killed in a Tel Aviv shooting and stabbing claimed by Hamas.

Palestinian resistance had carried out similar attacks, since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza one-year ago, which has killed 42,344 people, mostly women and children.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online