A deal has been reached to end the 38-day standoff at the Church of the Nativity that would divide among several countries the 13 suspected militants Israel wants deported, an Israeli official said tonight.

The outlines of an agreement to resolve the 35-day standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem were taking shape today, but the sides remained at odds on several issues including how many of the wanted Palestinians inside the Christian shrine would be deported.

Palestinian gunmen infiltrated a Jewish settlement in the West Bank today and killed three residents, shortly after Israel ended its latest raid on a Palestinian city in search of militants, warning that it would pursue militants wherever it must.