Four people have been killed and more have been taken hostage taken during a bank robbery in Israel today.
The victims reportedly died during a shootout at a branch of Bank Hapoalim in the southern Israeli city of Be’er Sheva.
One of the robbers was thought to have barricaded himself inside a bathroom with a female clerk, before shooting himself.
Three men and a woman are among the dead, with a further five injured and four suffering from shock.
A woman outside the bank as the drama unfolded at 11am local time, said: “I heard gunshots, went out and saw many ambulances arriving and numerous people assembling.
“I also understood that children were not being let out of school. Right now there are a lot of people here and about nine ambulances.
“I can see police inside the bank but I do not know what is going on inside. We were told to stay where we are.”
Regional police commander Yoram Levy said: “Four people have been killed and the robber apparently shot himself dead. The scene is now clear.”
Israeli media reports said three bank employees and a customer were among the dead.
