Attack Won't Halt Peace Talks, says Israel

The killing of eight people at a Jewish religious college by a Palestinian gunman will not derail peace talks, the Israeli government has said.

The gunman was shot dead after opening fire with an assault rifle inside a crowded library at the Mercaz Harav seminary in West Jerusalem.

According to the Israelis, he was a resident of East Jerusalem.

Its foreign ministry said talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who condemned the attack, would continue.

At the same time, the government condemned the rival Palestinian movement Hamas, which hailed the attack as a "natural reaction" to Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip last week that left more than 120 Palestinians dead.