An Israeli police officer has been killed and two others wounded in an ambush outside the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

The attackers opened fire on the officers' police car as it travelled north of Hebron on Monday morning.

Three officers were shot; one died from his injuries after being transported to a hospital in Jerusalem.

The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah political party, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

It was unclear whether the attack was related to the killing last week of four members of the group off the coast of the Gaza Strip.

Members of conservative political parties in Israel quickly blamed the attack on the government's recent moves to dismantle checkpoints in the West Bank.

Michael Ben-Ari, a Knesset member from the right-wing National Union party, said "opening roadblocks encourages terror," according to the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz.
Residents in Israeli settlements near Hebron also criticised the government.

The attack took place about nine kilometres from the Dahariya checkpoint, which was dismantled by Israeli authorities three weeks ago.