An attack by two Palestinian men on a synagogue in West Jerusalem has claimed the lives of five Israelis and injured eight others.

The Palestinian attackers, who police said were armed with a gun and axes, were shot dead by police after gaining entrance to the Har Nof Synagogue on Tuesday morning.

Following the incident, tens of Palestinians were injured in confrontations with Israeli settlers and security forces in both Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.

In response to the attack, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had warned of a "harsh response," ordered the demolition of the homes of the two Palestinians who carried out the attack.

Netanyahu said that Hamas, the Palestinian faction that governs the Gaza Strip, had spread lies that Israel was trying to take control of a religious site in occupied East Jerusalem, called Temple Mount by Israelis and Haram al-Sharif by Arabs.

"This caused the attacks," Netanyahu said. "There is no end to their [Hamas's] terror against the state of Israel."

Palestinians are angry at what they say are repeated attempts by right-wing Jews to extend their influence at the Muslim-run Haram al-Sharif, which houses the Al-Aqsa mosque. The compound is also considered by Jews to be a holy site.

Earlier, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the killings while Hamas said it was "a natural reaction to Israel's practices" against Palestinians.

The assailants have been identified as Odai and Ghasan Abu Jamal, cousins from East Jerusalem.
 
The two men belong to the Palestinian group known as the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).