Suicide bomber kills two near Israeli mall

A SUICIDE bomber blew himself up near a crowded shopping mall in Israel yesterday, killing himself and two others.

Police said about 30 people were injured, two seriously, in the blast which struck the seaside city of Netanya.

Initial reports said the bomb went off at the entrance to the mall. However, Israel Radio later reported that the bomber had struck at an intersection near the mall.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from a Palestinian militant group.

It was the second such bombing since a truce declaration on February 8. Two weeks into the truce a suicide bomber from Islamic Jihad blew himself up outside a Tel Aviv nightclub, killing five Israelis.

Yesterday’s bomb went off just before 4pm Irish time when the mall was crowded with shoppers.

Netanya is at Israel’s narrowest point, 14 kilometres from the West Bank. The city has been a frequent target of Palestinian bombers, but the frequency had dropped sharply in the past year with the completion of a section of Israel’s separation barrier along that part of the West Bank.

The mall has been a target for suicide bombers in the past. On May 18, 2001, a bomber blew himself up at the mall, killing five Israelis.

The last suicide bombing in Netanya was on May 19, 2002, when three Israelis were killed on a street not far from the mall. The mall bombing in Netanya is the first suicide bombing in Israel since February 25.

The chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, condemned the bombing. He said: “We understand that those who carried out this attack want to sabotage the efforts being exerted to have a smooth and peaceful disengagement from Gaza and a revival of the peace process.”

The previous bombing since a truce was declared was carried out by Islamic Jihad, but it said in a statement after yesterday’s attack that it remained committed to the ceasefire.

Police believe the bomber blew himself up among a group of teenagers who had been crossing a busy junction near the shopping mall.

They also believe there was a link between the attack and an apparent car bomb explosion about 30 minutes earlier in the Jewish settlement of Shavei Shomron in the West Bank, near Netanya. Police said they have a suspect in the car bombing in custody, and that he belongs to Islamic Jihad.