Palestinian gunmen wound 6 near Jerusalem, killed by Israeli forces

JERUSALEM, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Three Palestinian gunmen wounded six people at a checkpoint outside Jerusalem on Thursday before being shot dead by Israeli security forces, according to Israeli authorities.

The incident took place on the main road linking Jerusalem to Israeli settlements in the southern West Bank when Israel has been engaged in a deadly 41-day-long conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

Israeli police said in a statement that the three assailants were killed and searches for others are underway.

United Hatzalah, an Israeli rescue service, reported in a statement that at least six people were injured, including a man in his 20s in critical condition. The others sustained light to moderate injuries.

Israeli police chief Kobi Shabtai told reporters at the scene that the gunmen planned to carry out "a major attack," adding "the amount of ammunition they carried indicates that they intended to stay for a long time (in Israel.)"

The police found two pistols, two M-16 rifles, clothes similar to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) uniforms, two axes, and about ten cartridges in the assailants' belongings.?