W-OLF
04-17-2006, 03:14 PM
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up outside a fast-food restaurant in a bustling commercial area of Tel Aviv during the Passover holiday Monday, killing seven other people and wounding at least 49, police said.
A security guard posted outside the restaurant, the target of a suicide bombing in January, prevented Monday's bomber from entering the building, police said.
It was the first suicide attack in Israel since the Hamas militant group took over the Palestinian government 2 1/2 weeks ago. Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in attacks, has largely observed a cease-fire since February 2005.
The Islamic Jihad militant group, which is believed to be funded in part by Iran and refuses to observe a cease-fire, claimed responsibility in a telephone call to The Associated Press. The attack came a day after the group pledged to carry out more attacks.
Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for all six of the previous suicide attacks inside Israel since the cease-fire was declared.
Hamas leaders called the bombing a legitimate response to Israeli "aggression" - a sharp departure from the previous Palestinian leadership's immediate condemnations of such attacks.
"We think that this operation ... is a direct result of the policy of the occupation and the brutal aggression and siege committed against our people," said Khaled Abu Helal, spokesman for the Hamas-led Interior Ministry.
Earlier, Moussa abu Marzouk, a Hamas leader abroad, told Al-Jazeera television that "the Israeli side must feel what the Palestinian feels, and the Palestinian defends himself as much as he can."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, of the rival Fatah Party, condemned the bombing, calling it a "terrorist attack."
In Washington, White House press secretary Scott McClellan called the bombing "a despicable act of terror for which there is no excuse or justification.
The bomber struck "The Mayor's Felafel" restaurant, which was targeted in a Jan. 19 attack that wounded 20 people. The restaurant is in the bustling Neve Shaanan neighborhood near Tel Aviv's central bus station, which was crowded with holiday travelers.
Police said the restaurant hired a security guard after the earlier bombing, and that guard apparently was injured in Monday's blast.
A witness, Moussa al Zidat, said the guard asked the apparent bomber to open his bag.
"I saw a young man starting to open his bag. The guard begins opening the bag, and then I heard a boom."
Another witness, 62-year-old Sonya Levy, said she had just finished shopping when the blast occurred.
"I was about to get into my car, and boom! There was an explosion. A bit of human flesh landed on my car and I started to scream," she said.
Her car was 50 yards from the explosion and its windshield was smeared with blood.
Police said eight people, including the bomber, were killed. Medics said nine of the injured were in serious condition.
The wounded were treated on sidewalks. One man was lying on his side, his shirt pushed up and his back covered by bandages. A bleeding woman was wheeled away on a stretcher. A dazed-looking man walked near the site, his white T-shirt splattered with blood.
The blast shattered the windshields of cars, and blew out the windows of nearby buildings. The ground was covered with glass shards and blood. The sign of the restaurant's building was blown away. Bottles and other debris were scattered up to 25 yards from the site of the blast.
While rescue crews tended to the wounded, a helicopter hovered overhead and a marksman took position on the roof of the targeted building.
Police were searching for a vehicle that left the scene shortly before the blast, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. He said police had been on high alert for the Passover holiday but had no specific warnings of this attack.
On Sunday, Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Shallah said the militant group was making "nonstop efforts" to infiltrate suicide bombers from the West Bank into Israel.
"The nonstop crackdown against our resistance might limit this effort, but it's not going to stop it," he said in a statement posted on the group's Web site.
credit BellSouth
A security guard posted outside the restaurant, the target of a suicide bombing in January, prevented Monday's bomber from entering the building, police said.
It was the first suicide attack in Israel since the Hamas militant group took over the Palestinian government 2 1/2 weeks ago. Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in attacks, has largely observed a cease-fire since February 2005.
The Islamic Jihad militant group, which is believed to be funded in part by Iran and refuses to observe a cease-fire, claimed responsibility in a telephone call to The Associated Press. The attack came a day after the group pledged to carry out more attacks.
Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for all six of the previous suicide attacks inside Israel since the cease-fire was declared.
Hamas leaders called the bombing a legitimate response to Israeli "aggression" - a sharp departure from the previous Palestinian leadership's immediate condemnations of such attacks.
"We think that this operation ... is a direct result of the policy of the occupation and the brutal aggression and siege committed against our people," said Khaled Abu Helal, spokesman for the Hamas-led Interior Ministry.
Earlier, Moussa abu Marzouk, a Hamas leader abroad, told Al-Jazeera television that "the Israeli side must feel what the Palestinian feels, and the Palestinian defends himself as much as he can."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, of the rival Fatah Party, condemned the bombing, calling it a "terrorist attack."
In Washington, White House press secretary Scott McClellan called the bombing "a despicable act of terror for which there is no excuse or justification.
The bomber struck "The Mayor's Felafel" restaurant, which was targeted in a Jan. 19 attack that wounded 20 people. The restaurant is in the bustling Neve Shaanan neighborhood near Tel Aviv's central bus station, which was crowded with holiday travelers.
Police said the restaurant hired a security guard after the earlier bombing, and that guard apparently was injured in Monday's blast.
A witness, Moussa al Zidat, said the guard asked the apparent bomber to open his bag.
"I saw a young man starting to open his bag. The guard begins opening the bag, and then I heard a boom."
Another witness, 62-year-old Sonya Levy, said she had just finished shopping when the blast occurred.
"I was about to get into my car, and boom! There was an explosion. A bit of human flesh landed on my car and I started to scream," she said.
Her car was 50 yards from the explosion and its windshield was smeared with blood.
Police said eight people, including the bomber, were killed. Medics said nine of the injured were in serious condition.
The wounded were treated on sidewalks. One man was lying on his side, his shirt pushed up and his back covered by bandages. A bleeding woman was wheeled away on a stretcher. A dazed-looking man walked near the site, his white T-shirt splattered with blood.
The blast shattered the windshields of cars, and blew out the windows of nearby buildings. The ground was covered with glass shards and blood. The sign of the restaurant's building was blown away. Bottles and other debris were scattered up to 25 yards from the site of the blast.
While rescue crews tended to the wounded, a helicopter hovered overhead and a marksman took position on the roof of the targeted building.
Police were searching for a vehicle that left the scene shortly before the blast, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. He said police had been on high alert for the Passover holiday but had no specific warnings of this attack.
On Sunday, Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Shallah said the militant group was making "nonstop efforts" to infiltrate suicide bombers from the West Bank into Israel.
"The nonstop crackdown against our resistance might limit this effort, but it's not going to stop it," he said in a statement posted on the group's Web site.
credit BellSouth