A Palestinian gunman opened fire on an Israeli vehicle traveling in the West Bank on Tuesday, killing four passengers, authorities said, in a deadly attack that cast a long shadow over Mideast peace talks set to start this week.
Advertisement:

In the past militant groups have staged attacks in an effort to sabotage peace efforts.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the gunman opened fire at a vehicle traveling near Hebron — a volatile city that has been a flash point of violence in the past. Some 500 ultranationalist Jewish settlers live in heavily fortified enclaves in the city amid more than 100,000 Palestinians.

Israel’s national rescue service said the victims included two men and two women. It gave no further details.

At least four Israelis, including a pregnant woman, are reported to have been shot. The 4 are a husband his wife and 2 others taking a tramp with them.

Their car came under fire from a passing vehicle at the Beni Naim junction on Highway 60.

Security officials describe it as a well-planned ambush. The attackers are said to have paused to confirm that the victims were dead before fleeing.