“Palestinians wearing Israeli army uniforms detonated a roadside bomb near an armored bus Tuesday and then sprayed automatic fire at Israeli civilians as they fled near a West Bank settlement, authorities and witnesses said. Seven people were killed and more than a dozen wounded.”

The gunmen fled the scene and were being pursued by army helicopters.

It was the first deadly attack on Israeli civilians since June 20 and came hours before representatives of the so-called “Quartet” committee — including the United States, Russia, European Union and United Nations — met in New York to discuss ways of ending more than 21 months of violence.

Medics who rushed to the entrance of the Emmanuel settlement in the northern West Bank quoted the wounded as saying that after the initial explosion, several smaller ones went off, followed by shooting, Israel Radio said.

The witnesses said the attackers, about three in all, were dressed in Israel army uniforms and opened fire as the bus passengers tried to escape. The gunmen fled in the direction of Nablus, the report said.

[Related: “3 of 7 killed in attack near Immanuel members of same family” (Ha’aretz); also from Ha’aretz: hope — not despair — is what motivates suicide bombers. At least, so says Hamas (link via LGF).]

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