GUSH ETZION, West Bank – Palestinian Arab gunmen in a speeding car opened fire on a crowded bus stop yesterday, killing three Israelis and wounding four others in the deadliest attack on Israelis in more than three months, Israeli officials said.

Minutes later, terrorists carried out a second drive-by shooting elsewhere in the West Bank, seriously wounding one Israeli, officials said.

Also yesterday, Israeli troops shot and killed an Islamic terrorist and seriously wounded a bystander in the West Bank, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.

The violence was the worst since a July 12 suicide bombing in the northern Israeli town of Netanya killed five people. Israeli security officials have warned that following last month’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Palestinian terrorists would shift their focus to the West Bank.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a terrorist group loosely affiliated with the ruling Fatah party, claimed responsibility for the shootings.

Israel responded with tough new measures limiting movement in the West Bank, security officials said. Exit from Bethlehem and Hebron will be blocked, Palestinian cars will be banned from the area and arrest raids will be increased, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.