Israelis call up reserve troops

JERUSALEM - Gunmen killed three Israeli soldiers in an ambush in the West Bank yesterday as mounting violence prompted Israel to call up several hundred reservists to bolster its forces in the occupied territories.

The attack, one of a series of violent incidents at the weekend, occurred in the Palestinian village of Ein Yabrud, north of Ramallah.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant group with links to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the attack.

"A patrol of four of our soldiers was attacked from behind by four terrorists ... They surprised the soldiers and opened fire and killed three," said Major-General Moshe Kaplinsky, commander of Israeli forces in the West Bank.

In a statement faxed to Reuters, the Brigades said the attack was in response to "Zionist massacres against our people" and Israeli raids in southern Gaza in which Palestinian officials say 15 people have been killed in the past week.

"There will be more operations against occupation soldiers until they leave our land," the group said.

The Palestinian village was placed under curfew as soldiers searched house-to-house for the attackers, backed by helicopter gunships overhead, witnesses said.

Israeli Justice Minister Yosef Lapid condemned the attack and blamed Palestinian leaders for not cracking down on militants.

"These madmen causing us sorrow and pain are also causing the Palestinians a deterioration into helplessness," Lapid said.

In other violence yesterday, soldiers wounded an 18-year-old Palestinian in the West Bank town of Jenin when they opened fire on a group of stone-throwers, Palestinian medics said.

Earlier, Israel called up several hundred reserve soldiers to serve in the West Bank and Gaza because of rising violence and fears of a new wave of suicide bombings.

- REUTERS