On Tuesday evening on Highway 60, near Hebron, four Israeli civilians, one of whom was pregnant, were gunned down in their car in a hail of gunfire. “The vehicle was sprayed with dozens of bullets,” a paramedic at the scene told Israel’s Channel Two. “There were numerous shell casings around. We found four bodies and there was no chance whatsoever to help them; all we could do was to pronounce [their] death.”

The victims included two men, ages 25 and 40, along with two women of similar age.

Highway 60 is the main artery for travel from north to south in the West Bank. This February, Israel removed 10 checkpoints, freeing up the movement of persons and goods. Over the past year, Israel has removed dozens of other checkpoints and roadblocks throughout the West Bank.

Security forces said they believe there were multiple shooters, and a manhunt has begun to find those responsible for this well-orchestrated ambush. Said Israel’s Minister of Defense Ehud Barak, “the IDF and security services will do everything to get their hands on the murderers.” Early indicators suggest that this was the work of Hamas, who is seeking to derail upcoming peace talks before they even begin.

The Popular Resistance Committee, which is a coalition of armed factions who oppose peace and espouse violence, told Ynet that the attack is a “message” to the Palestinian negotiation team ahead of this week’s direct talks in DC.

“They [The Palestinian Authority] should not have embarked on this move without the support of the Palestinian people,” PRC Spokesman Abu Mujahid said. “Our people still espouse the resistance and do not believe in the fictitious talks scheduled to commence tomorrow.”

Hamas’ spokesperson  in Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri, released a statement congratulating the attackers. Mr. Abu Zuhri called the murders a response to “the crime of occupation.”

While this attack was taking place, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Said the State Department’s spokesperson P.J. Crowley, America fully understands that “there are those who will do whatever they can to disrupt or derail the process.”

Said Ido Aharoni, Israel’s Acting Consul General in New York, “We will not tolerate a resumption of violent activity. While Israel is working with President Abbas towards a peace agreement based on security, recognition of Israel as a nation-state for the Jewish People, and an end to the conflict, Palestinian terrorists are doing everything in their power to derail any progress. Moreover, resulting to violence is counterintuitive and harms all Palestinians. While Hamas fights to prevent peace, security, and prosperity from reaching the Palestinian people, they will lose. Israel will not allow a Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank to become a haven for terrorism.”

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