A Palestinian suicide bomber who penetrated layers of security to get from the West Bank to the heart of Tel Aviv inflicted the deadliest attack on Israel in nearly two years yesterday. Conal Urquhart reports from Tel Aviv.
The attacker, a 21-year-old West Bank student, blew himself up outside a crowded fast-food restaurant as Israelis flocked to restaurants and beaches at the height of the Passover holiday. Nine diners and a passerby were killed and more than 50 injured.
The bombing, which was claimed by Islamic Jihad, set the stage for the first showdown between Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, and Hamas since it took over the running of the Palestinian Authority.
Hamas called the attack a legitimate response to Israeli's occupation of the West Bank. "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 based in Syria, told al-Jazeera television that "the Israeli side must feel what the Palestinian feels, and the Palestinian defends himself as much as he can".
The Palestinian Authority chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, said violence was against Palestinian interests and urged the international community to encourage peace negotiations "to stop the grave deterioration the region is witnessing".
But Israel seized on the Hamas statement, even though it has suspended its attacks against Israel and said it would not carry out suicide attacks in the future.
Ra'anan Gissin, a spokesman for Mr Olmert, said: "This Palestinian Authority, which has clearly defined itself as a terrorist entity, has tried to instigate terrorist support more than the previous one did, and we will act accordingly."
The attack coincided with the opening of the new Knesset in Jerusalem. Mr Olmert said the government was weighing a response: "We will know how to respond in the way and manner required, and we will continue to act with all means at our disposal to thwart further incidents."
Within an hour of the attack, a column of Israeli military vehicles entered Nablus and troops began arresting young men on suspicion of involvement with militant groups. The bomb devastated a restaurant that was hit by a suicide bomber in January, injuring 20 people. One of the victims was believed to be a mother who was eating with her husband and children. Her family tried to revive her but she died at the scene.
The explosion sprayed shrapnel around the busy commercial area. Islamic Jihad named the bomber as Sami Salim Hamad, from near Jenin. "We tell the criminal enemy that there are more martyrdom seekers," he said in his final video. Israeli forces were on a high alert in and around the West Bank because of the holiday. Three men were later stopped by police on the road to Jerusalem on suspicion of having aided the bomber.
Witnesses said the bomber had approached the restaurant and offered his bag for inspection. He then detonated the explosives.
Shahar Plott (35) had just finished eating with a friend. "I was standing about 10 metres away from the blast. It was a loud boom and I felt the shockwaves but it didn't knock me over. I got a piece of shrapnel in my leg. I heard screaming and I saw people lying on the ground but my first instinct was to get away."