A PALESTINIAN suicide bomber blew himself up yesterday among shoppers waiting to enter a shopping mall in the central Israeli town of Netanya, killing at least five bystanders and wounding more than 30.

The Palestinians took control of a border for the first time with the festive opening today of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt – a milestone on their rocky path to independence and a rare moment of joy for fenced-in Gazans.

Less than a month before Israel begins pulling out of Gaza, almost every major issue about the territory’s future remains undecided.

An Israeli helicopter fired two missiles at a car carrying militants from the Islamic Hamas group, wounding 11 people and raising fears of increased Middle East violence.

The second in command of the Islamic Hamas group has been killed in an Israeli helicopter attack, according to Israel army radio.