Israel bombs Nablus after attack on Jewish settlement

The Israeli army has injured 11 Palestinians in a missile attack on the West Bank town of Nablus this morning.

Helicopter gunships fired missiles at a Palestinian Authority security installation in the town in retaliation for the murder of three Israelis in a Jewish settlement yesterday evening.

A lone Palestinian gunman infiltrated the Hamra settlement in the Jordan River Valley and killed three women, including a mother and daughter.

The attacker seized a house in the settlement, but was shot dead when Israeli soldiers stormed the building a short time later.

At least four people were also wounded during the incident, including a child and two Israeli soldiers.

In a statement broadcast in Lebanon, the Hamas militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Israel retaliated early today, with witnesses reporting two missiles being fired at a Palestinian prison and a government complex in Nablus.

A few hours earlier, police and civilians foiled an apparent suicide bombing just outside Jerusalem when a bus driver alerted officers to a suspicious passenger.

Police and bystanders overpowered him and discovered he was wearing a belt with explosives.

The Israeli army also intercepted a truck carrying rockets to the West Bank yesterday.

The rockets, with a range of six to seven miles, would have given Palestinian militants the ability to hit Israeli towns and cities from inside the West Bank.