Suicide bomber kills one in Israeli rail station

A bomb exploded at a rail station in northern Israel tonight, killing at least one person and injuring five.

Witnesses said it appeared to be a Palestinian suicide attack at Binyamina.

Israeli radio said the person killed was a woman. Four people were seriously wounded by the bomb.

Binyamina is a village north of the coastal city of Netanya. The main north-south train line runs through the village, where a station serves the region.

There have been several Palestinian suicide bombing attacks in the Netanya area. Netanya is at Israel’s narrowest point - nine miles - from the West Bank.

The blast came after a day of violence in the West Bank.

Israeli tanks entered the Palestinian-controlled part of the divided city of Hebron in the early hours, destroying four police posts run by Force 17, an elite force in Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s police.

Israel charges that Force 17 has been involved in attacks against Israelis. The Israeli incursion followed several Palestinian gunfire attacks on Israeli settlements and army posts.

Later, Israeli tanks shelled a Force 17 post near Tulkarem in the West Bank. The Israeli military said it was a response to a Palestinian gunfire attack in which two Israelis were lightly wounded nearby.

The bomb went off as Israel’s security efforts were concentrated on Jerusalem, where thousands of athletes were preparing for a gala opening ceremony for the Maccabiah Games, known as the Jewish Olympics.

Early today, two Palestinians were killed in a bomb explosion about half a mile from the stadium. Israeli police said they were apparently trying to assemble a bomb, but it went off prematurely.