UPDATE - 3 settlers killed in West Bank attack: Israeli army

ADDS HAMAS STATEMENT

By Anees Barghouthy and Muhammed Macid

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Three Israeli settlers were killed Friday in an alleged stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank, according to the Israeli military.

"A Palestinian infiltrated a private home in the community of Neve Tsuf, northwest of Ramallah, and stabbed four Israeli civilians," a statement said. "Three of the victims died as a result of their wounds, and another was evacuated to the hospital.”

The Palestinian attacker, according to the army, was shot and injured.

Hamas said the attack was in response to the violations against the Jerusalem residents and Al-Aqsa Mosque and warned that the Israel government would bear the consequences of its “racial and radical policy” against Palestine.

Early Friday, three Palestinian men were shot dead and hundreds of others were injured in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem.

The killings came as Palestinians and Israeli security forces clashed after security restrictions were placed on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the injury toll stood at 391. Apart from wounds from live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas, some victims said they were run over by Israeli armed forces vehicles.

Other clashes between angry Palestinian youths and Israeli forces broke out in several cities across the West Bank after Friday prayers.

Protests erupted Sunday after the mosque’s leadership spoke out against metal detectors that were installed following a gun attack last week that left three Palestinians and two Israeli police officers dead.

The measures led to a wave of anger among Palestinians, who called for the immediate removal of the detectors. However, Israel has refused to back down, saying the detectors match security measures at other holy sites around the world.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. It later annexed the city in 1980, claiming all of Jerusalem as the Jewish state’s "eternal" capital -- a move never recognized by the international community.

Sacred to Muslims, Jews, and Christians, Jerusalem is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which for Muslims represents the world's third-holiest site.