Israeli forces on high alert after killing of settlers

Israeli and Palestinian leaders are heading to Washington for peace talks in inauspicious circumstances. On Tuesday evening, four Israeli settlers were gunned down near Kiryat Arba, a West Bank settlement. Two couples died including one pregnant woman.

Following the attack, Israeli forces swiftly moved in, conducting house-to-house searches in villages in the Hebron area, and setting up roadblocks in the area.

The Israeli army says an investigation is underway into how the attack was carried out.

"It appears that the attack was carried out by a passing vehicle, however the investigation is still underway," the Israeli military said. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said the “spilling of the blood of Israeli civilians” would not go unpunished.

The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigade, the armed wing of Hamas, has claimed reponsibility for the attack. The islamic movement Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, opposes peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders belonging to the rival Fatah faction.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Netanyahu are set to engage in direct peace talks in Washington on Wednesday.

Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories are high up on the agenda of discussions as a moratorium on construction is set to run out at the end of September. Palestinian leaders are demanding the renewal of the freeze.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has condemned the attacks and said that the “enemies of peace” were trying to derail the talks in Washington.

"With this unacceptable attack, the enemies of peace have tried to derail the Middle East peace talks. But we are determined not to let these enemies of peace have their way."