An Israeli has opened fire at a group of Palestinians in the West Bank, killing three people.
Israeli Zaka emergency service said on Wednesday that at least three people had been also wounded in the attack near the Jewish settlement of Shiloh in the West Bank.
Israeli and Palestinian medics said the man grabbed a weapon from a security guard posted at the industrial zone of the West Bank settlement of Shilo, then randomly opened fire on Palestinians nearby.
Media reports said he opened fire in an attempt to disrupt the Gaza pullout, but the reports could not immediately be confirmed.
Israeli media reported that the man was a driver who transported Palestinian laborers to the industrial zone every day and knew his victims.
At the end of Wednesday's work day, the driver picked up the workers and stopped at the security post briefly, media reports said.
The driver got out of the car, took the weapon from the security guard at knifepoint and then opened fire on the workers from close range, the reports said.
Two workers were killed on the spot. The reports said the driver then took one of the wounded to another area and shot him dead at close range.
Israeli media reported that the man was arrested, while the Israeli military had no comment on the incident.
In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri vowed that "this crime is not going to pass without tough punishment. The enemy is opening the gate of revenge."
However, he also indicated the group might not want to disrupt the Gaza pullout by inviting Israeli retaliation.
"No one of us wants the occupation to stay or to obstruct their pulling out, but in the face of this series of crimes ... all options are open," he said.
Other incidents
Palestinians fired a mortar shell at an Israeli army post near the Gaza Strip settlement of Morag on Wednesday where troops are taking part in the evacuation of settlers.
"Palestinians fired a mortar shell near an IDF (Israel Defence Forces) post where soldiers were securing the community of Morag," military sources said on Wednesday.
There were no reports of injuries, they added. Shortly afterwards, Israeli radio reported that Palestinian gunmen and Israeli troops traded fire in the area around the radical Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom and the neighbouring Palestinian town of Deir al-Balah.
There was no immediately confirmation from the army.
Opponents of Israel's Gaza pullout also briefly blocked a road to the main settlements on Wednesday, complicating the army's efforts to carry out forced evacuations.
The incidents are likely to raise tensions at a time when Israel hopes to complete a Gaza pullout without any fire from Palestinians.
PHOTO CAPTION
An Israeli police officer inspects the car next to the covered bodies of two of three slain Palestinian men in the settlement of Shilo, north of the West Bank town of Ramallah, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2005. (AP)