Gunmen kill 7 Israelis on bus near Eilat

Tragic news out of southern Israel, via JTA:

Palestinian gunmen attacked an Israeli bus traveling near Eilat—the first in a series of attacks that reportedly have left seven Israelis dead.

Palestinian infiltrators from Gaza struck the Egged bus just after noon Thursday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Two other attacks—roadside bombs detonated as a vehicle drove past and another on Israeli troops—occurred in the same area shortly after, according to Lt.-Col Avital Leibovitch, the IDF’s chief spokesman for the foreign press.

Israeli media are reporting that there are at least seven Israeli fatalities in the attacks, and that Israeli soldiers have killed three of the terrorists. The IDF has not confirmed the fatalities.

Already, this is the deadliest attack in Israel since 2008.