Jerusalem – A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up outside a public bus station in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba during Sunday morning rush hour, injuring at least 10 people in the first such attack since Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Israeli officials said the casualty toll would have been far higher if a driver had not identified the bomber as a potential attacker and quickly notified two security guards, who pursued the man through the city’s main bus station. The bomber eventually detonated his explosives, seriously wounding the guards and injuring at least eight other Israelis. More than two dozen others were treated at hospitals for slight injuries and shock.
Palestinian officials condemned the attack, saying it undermined Palestinian interests at a time when Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza had provided new opportunities to restart the peace process.
Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said: “We call upon all to make a maximum effort in order to maintain the truce and quiet. I think the last thing Israelis and Palestinians want is to return to the cycle of violence.”
But Israeli officials said the attack highlighted the inadequacy of the Palestinian Authority’s effort to confront radical Palestinian groups, a step Israel has demanded as a condition of its return to the U.S.-endorsed peace process known as the “road map.”
Although there was no immediate assertion of responsibility, a spokesman for the radical Palestinian group Islamic Jihad said on radio broadcasts that the attack brought pride to the Palestinian people.
The attack, which occurred about 8:30 a.m. and was the fourth suicide bombing this year, followed threats made Saturday by the military leader of Hamas, a larger Islamic movement also opposed to Israel’s right to exist.
Mohammed Deif, leader of the armed wing of Hamas, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, warned in a videotaped message that “all of Palestine” would “become a hell” for Israelis after their departure from Gaza.
