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Second Hamas shooting as peace talks begin

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A second terror attack by Hamas has left two Israeli civilians injured, one seriously.

The roadside shooting near the Rimonim junction in the West Bank followed the killing of four people on Tuesday by a Hamas gunman, and came as direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians began in Washington.

A Hamas spokesman said the attack was intended to derail negotiations and warned that there would be more: "It was a message to those who pledged to the Zionist enemy that there would be no more attacks.”

Moshe Moreno, one of those injured in the attack, said his car was fired at ten times and that the gunman only stopped because his weapon stopped working, allowing time for the police to be called.

Mr Moreno said: "One of the guns seemed to jam and that gave us the chance to roll away and take cover.

“I knew that if they reached us, they would spray us with bullets at point blank range."

The IDF said that eight Palestinian suspects had been arrested in the West Bank.

Speaking at the White House Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Hamas and said the Palestinian Authority was not interested in “spilling Israeli blood”.

Mr Abbas added: “We want the two peoples to live regular lives in real peace.”

Last night President Obama hosted a dinner for Israeli Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu, Mr Abbas and the Jordanian and Egyptian leaders.

President Obama has held meetings with both Mr Abbas and Mr Netanyahu. He said progress was being made and vowed that "senseless slaughter" by Hamas would not derail the peace talks.

He said: "The United States is going to be unwavering in its support of Israel's security. And we are going to push back against these kinds of terrorist attacks.

“The message should go out to Hamas and everyone else who is taking credit for these heinous crimes that this is not going to stop us."

The summit marks the first face to face negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians since November 2008.

Watch: Obama, Netanyahu and Abbas open talks

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