Israel Kills 'Bus Bomber' In West Bank Shootout

A suspected bus bomber has been killed by Israeli forces during an operation inside the West Bank.

The dead man, a member of Islamic Jihad, died in a gunfight which ended in a cave between the villages of Bilin and Kufr Ne'meh, six miles (10km) northwest of Ramallah.

The Israeli army put out a statement about the incident, naming the dead man as Mohammed Assi.

It said he was responsible for the bombing of a bus in Tel Aviv in November 2012 that wounded 29 people.

"A wanted Palestinian terrorist was killed this morning in Bilin during a gunfight with the army while he was in a cave," tweeted army spokesman Avichay Adraee in Arabic.

Islamic Jihad also put out a statement confirming the man had died, saying he had been "assassinated by the occupation in Kufr Ne'meh".

In a separate tweet, the Israeli army's official spokesman Peter Lerner described him as the "planner" of the Tel Aviv bombing.

"On 21st November 2012 a terrorist planted a bomb on a bus in #TelAviv injuring 29 people. This a.m. its planner was killed in exchange of fire," he wrote.

"Mohammad Assi involved in #TelAviv bombing last Nov. opened fire at security forces and was killed this a.m. in the exchange of fire."

He said two others who were involved in the bombing had been arrested.

Witnesses told the AFP news agency the incident began at 5am (3am BST) when Israeli troops entered Bilin then moved into an area between the village and nearby Kufr Ne'meh, sparking gunfire.

Troops surrounded a cave in the area and bulldozed it, a Palestinian medic at the scene said.

The Tel Aviv bombing took place on a bus near the defence ministry.

The attack came as Israel was engaged in a major air campaign in Gaza to stamp out cross-border rocket fire that ended with a mutual ceasefire several hours later.