A Palestinian gunman has killed four Israelis on the eve of a new round of Middle East peace talks in Washington.
The killer opened fire at a vehicle travelling near Hebron - a volatile West Bank city that has been a flash point of violence in the past. A pregnant woman was among the dead, according to an Israeli Army spokesman.
Some 500 ultranationalist Jewish settlers live in heavily fortified enclaves in the city amid more than 100,000 Palestinians.
A spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has launched a US push for peace in the Middle East, holding talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders before they begin direct negotiations on Thursday.
Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman said the Israeli Prime Minister "will tell Clinton the criminal murder proves again the need to stand firmly on Israel's stringent security demands, and there will be no compromise on them".
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