Palestinian gunman kills three Israelis in West Bank

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Three Israelis have been shot dead by a Palestinian at the entrance to a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, Israeli police say.

The gunman, a 37-year-old from a nearby village, was also shot and died later.

Police say he pulled out a gun as he waited to enter Har Adar along with Palestinian labourers and opened fire on police and security guards.

It is the latest in a wave of attacks on Israelis, mostly by Palestinians or Israeli Arabs, since late 2015.

No group has claimed the attack, although Gaza-based Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have welcomed it.

The gunman, who had an Israeli permit to work in Jewish settlements along the boundary of the West Bank, "aroused the suspicion of border patrol and security personnel" while approaching the checkpoint to Har Adar, Israeli police said in a statement.

After being ordered to stop, he "raised his shirt, pulled out a pistol and shot at" the guards "at close range", the statement added.

One other person was seriously injured.

The identities of the Israelis who were killed have not been released.

 

At least 50 Israelis and five foreign nationals have been killed in stabbing, shooting and car-ramming attacks since October, 2015.

Around 300 Palestinians - most of them attackers, Israel says - have also been killed in that period. Others have been killed in clashes with Israeli troops.

Israel says Palestinian incitement has fuelled the attacks. The Palestinian leadership has blamed frustration rooted in decades of Israeli occupation.