A gunman killed a 12-year-old boy and wounded three others when he opened fire on an Israeli bus in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military and medics reported according to AFP.

The shooting at around 11:30pm happened south of Jerusalem, near Bethlehem at the so-called tunnels checkpoint.

“After intensive resuscitation attempts, the medical team pronounced the boy dead, who was evacuated in critical condition from the attack,” said Hadassah Hospital, located west of Jerusalem.

Israel’s emergency medical service Magen David Adom had earlier said its medics had treated four people including the 12-year-old.

The bus had departed from Beitar Ilit settlement, its city hall said in a statement, specifying that the boy was travelling home to Jerusalem with his family.

The military said: “Israeli security forces are pursuing the terrorist, setting up roadblocks and encircling the area of Bethlehem”.