Eilat, Israel – A Palestinian suicide bomber killed three Israelis at a bakery Monday in the first such attack inside the country in nine months, and the two radical groups that claimed to have sent him said they were trying to end weeks of Palestinian infighting by taking aim at Israel instead.
Israel’s first response came early today. The army said its aircraft bombed a tunnel dug by Palestinians near the Gaza-Israel border that it said was intended for use by militants for an attack against Israel. No casualties were reported.
Israel has observed a truce with the Palestinians in Gaza since late November. But the airstrike signaled that the Eilat bombing put that cease-fire in danger.
The suicide bombing was praised by the Palestinians’ governing Hamas movement as legitimate resistance – a position that was sure to hurt efforts to end a crippling economic boycott imposed by the international community.
It was the first suicide bombing in this Red Sea resort of 50,000 at Israel’s southern tip near the Jordanian and Egyptian borders.
Shattered glass, body parts and blood-splattered pastries were strewn on the sidewalk outside the bakery. Two of the victims were the owners of the bakery.
Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade claimed joint responsibility. Both militant groups said they hoped to encourage warring Palestinian factions to end weeks of clashes.
“The operation has a clear message to the Palestinian rivals. It is necessary to end the infighting and point the guns toward the occupation that has hurt the Palestinian people,” a posting on the Islamic Jihad website said.
Early today, officials from the rival Fatah and Hamas movements announced a new cease- fire. Negotiated by the two sides with Egyptian mediators at a midnight meeting, the agreement was supposed to end bloodshed that has left more than 60 Palestinians dead since early December. But fighting continued in downtown Gaza after the truce was supposed to have taken effect. Several earlier truce agreements have broken down.
Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, called Monday’s attack a “natural response” to Israeli military policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He also said attacks on Israel were preferable to the recent Palestinian infighting.
Islamic Jihad identified the bomber as Mohammed Siksik, 20, from the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya. Relatives said Siksik was unemployed and despondent over the death of a newborn daughter from disease, and was driven to avenge his best friend’s killing in fighting with Israel.
Siksik’s mother, Rowayda, said he left home three days ago. She proudly told reporters that she knew of the attack in advance.
“He told me: Meeting God is better for me than this whole world,” she said.
