Six Israelis were reported killed in an ambush on an Israeli army checkpoint near the West Bank village of Ein Arik tonight.
An armed group linked to the Palestinian Fatah movement said it was responsible for the ambush.
Settler sources in the area the dead were all soldiers. A military source said one other person was wounded and was evacuated by ambulance in moderate condition.
Another Israeli escaped unharmed and briefed security forces on the attack.
An unknown number of gunmen took up a position in a building overlooking the checkpoint and opened fire before escaping into Palestinian territory, according to public television.
According to the radio, the area of the attack, west of Ramallah, has been closed off to Israeli civilians for the past several months.
AFP