Six Israelis killed in Palestinian ambush

Six Israelis have been shot dead in a Palestinian attack in the West Bank, officals have confirmed.

One other person was wounded in the shooting, which took place near the Palestinian village of Ein Arik, west of Ramallah.

Israeli radio reported that a group of Palestinian gunmen penetrated a building near an Israeli roadblock and opened fire on the occupants.

Earlier a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up, seconds after he was pushed off an Israeli bus by its suspicious driver near the northern West Bank settlement of Mehola, police said. There were no other casualties.

The latest violence was likely to increase still further already heavy pressure on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to take more decisive action in the wake of a string of Palestinian attacks on Israelis.