Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal has condemned the attacks in Israel “in the strongest terms”. He said it was important “to maintain calm and determine all the facts”.

Militants, thought to be Palestinians, attacked a bus, an army vehicle and a civilian car on a road in the Negev Desert, killing at least seven people. Israeli forces pursued the attackers shooting seven dead.

Israeli officials say the militants were from the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Hamas movement. Hamas has denied any involvement in the attack.

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