Israelis killed in attack on Gaza Strip settlement

A Palestinian gunman has opened fire at a Gaza Strip settlement killing two Israelis and wounding one.

The Israeli army says he was then shot dead.

The Islamic militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack on the Shalev settlement.

It identified the gunman as Ismail Braiss, 25.

The attack infiltrated the area of the settlement's greenhouses and opened fire on Israelis working there, security sources and Israeli Radio said.

The attacker "managed to reach the area of the greenhouses and fired a little and I killed him," the settlement's security chief, Kobi Haddad, told Israel Radio.

The shooting came hours after Israeli police arrested five Arab men suspected of terrorist activity near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport. Police would not say if the five suspects were Palestinians or Israeli Arabs or if they were armed.

It was not immediately clear if the group was planning to attack the international airport, but the overnight police shut down main highways, while police set up roadblocks and patrols throughout central Israel.

The violence erupted a day after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced an early election, throwing the country into three months of political instability as it prepares for a January 28 poll.

Avi Pazner, a government spokesman, said security forces had received at least 60 warnings about planned Palestinian bombing and shooting attacks.