Three Israelis shot dead

Three Israelis were killed in a Palestinian shooting attack in the West Bank today, rescue services said.

The gun attack took place near the Palestinian village of Ein Yabrud, east of the town of Ramallah, not far from the Israeli settlement of Ofra. Israel TV reported that Palestinians opened fire on a vehicle in an ambush.

Rescue service vehicles and military forces were on their way to the scene.

Israel Radio reported that the Palestinians also detonated an explosive in the attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. In the past, gunmen from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, loosely linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement, have been active in the area, which is near the town of Ramallah, where Arafat has his headquarters.

The area has been the scene of repeated Palestinian gunfire attacks at Israeli vehicles during three years of fighting.