Seven dead in W Bank violence

Seven dead in W Bank violence

The car was riddled with bullets during the Hebron shooting

Seven people have been killed in the latest violence in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli troops shot dead five Palestinians during clashes as they moved into the town of Tamoun, north-east of the city of Nablus.

Earlier, near Hebron, two Israelis were accidentally killed by their own army, which mistook them for Palestinian militants.

The army described the shooting as an operational error, and said it was investigating the incident.

Palestinian security sources said the five Palestinians killed in Tamoun all belonged to radical militant groups.

Israeli forces entered the town to search for the militants whom they thought were planning an attack, the Israeli army said.

An explosive belt was found on the body of one of them, a spokesman added.

The military said at least four of the militants were high on their list of fugitives.

Hebron shooting

The accidental shooting happened south-east of the city of Hebron as the two armed Israelis were travelling in a car, the army said.

Bullets riddled the front of the vehicle, which had the word "security" written in Hebrew on both doors and the hood.

Israeli troops were hunting suspected Palestinian militants after receiving intelligence warnings that they were planning an attack, the army said in a statement.

The army expressed regret at the error and immediately launched an inquiry into the incident.

The Israeli Haaretz daily said that the two men were security guards from a nearby research site.