An Israeli has opened fire at a group of Palestinians in the West Bank, killing three people, in a shooting that coincided with Israel's Gaza withdrawal.
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.
'Jewish terror'
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon condemned the shooting of as an act of "Jewish terror" aimed at stopping the Gaza pullout.
Sharon said the shooting was "aimed against innocent Palestinians, out of twisted thinking, aimed at stopping
the disengagement."
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.
Palestinian government spokesman Saeb Erekat condemned the attack and urged the Israeli government to bring the perpetrator to justice immediately.
The incident came nearly two weeks after an ultranationalist Jew, opposed to the Gaza pullout, shot and killed four Israeli Arabs on a bus in northern Israel.
Israeli media reported that the man was arrested, while the Israeli military had no comment on the incident.
The shooting is likely to raise tensions at a time when Israel hopes to complete a Gaza pullout without any fire from Palestinians.