The first fatal Palestinian attack since last month’s Gaza Strip pullout was followed shortly afterwards by the killing by Israeli soldiers of a local militant leader in the northern West Bank. An anonymous caller from a cell of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a Palestinian militant group which is meant to be observing a ceasefire, claimed responsibility for the shooting at the junction near Gush Etzion, which is frequently used by hitch-hikers.

Military sources and local council officials confirmed that three people had been killed in the attack. The shrouded bodies could be seen loaded into the back of an ambulance, an AFP correspondent reported. A large number of troops had been dispatched to the area in a bid to find the attacker who had driven off at speed.

The army said that it had later received reports of another shooting close to the settlement of Eli in the central West Bank although there were no reports of casualties. The claim of responsibility from Al Aqsa will be an embarrassment for Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas who is under pressure to institute a crackdown on militant groups.

Abbas is due to hold talks with both US President George W. Bush and French President Jacques Chirac this week, both of whom are hoping that the pullout from Gaza should serve as an opportunity to revitalise the peace process.