An Israeli has been killed in the West Bank in an apparent attack by Palestinian gunmen. The death follows an overnight incursion into the West Bank city of Hebron during which five Palestinians were killed. The deaths of the Palestinians occurred when Israeli tanks and forces raided a Palestinian area of the city.
Up to 50 tanks and armoured personnel carriers are believed to have been involved in the incursion. During the raid, a gun battle erupted in which the five Palestinians were killed and up to 45 others were injured.
The raid came two days after Palestinian gunmen fired on a crowd of thousands of Jewish worshippers, wounding two Israelis.
Following the incursion, Palestinian gunmen are reported to have shot dead an Israeli settler and wounded another near the West Bank town of Tulkarem.
The attack was claimed by both the "Return Brigade" of Fatah, as well as the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, based in Damascus.
The violence further threatened a shaky truce deal reaffirmed last week by Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.
The leadership of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation has warned Palestinian factions that they risk losing international support if they fail to respect the ceasefire with Israel.
The PLO executive committee has said that breaking the truce would severely harm Palestinian national interests at a time when the world was pre-occupied with the repercussions of last month's attacks on the United States.
