Death toll rises in bus bombing

The death toll in a suicide bombing on board a bus in Haifa in Israel rose to at least 12 people with dozens injured, some critically, officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which comes as Israel’s new hard-line government is pressing ahead with a two-week-old offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza, and as the Palestinian Authority is considering far-reaching reforms.

In the past Israel has reacted with tough military measures after such attacks and has blamed Yasser Arafat, saying the Palestinian Authority does nothing to prevent terrorism.

“Once again the bestial hand of Palestinian terrorism has struck at the heart of Israel,” said Mark Sofer, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, adding that in the past two months Israeli forces had thwarted almost 100 attempted attacks.

Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat condemned “any attack that is targeting civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli. But he added: “We reject the Israel government finger-pointing that the Palestinian Authority is responsible.”

Haifa police chief Yaacov Borovsky said the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber.

Avi Zohar, a rescues services spokesman, said there were ”dozens of casualties, among them at least two dozen seriously injured. “

Ovadia Saar, who was driving another bus just behind the one that was attacked, said he saw “the back of the bus fly into the air, and the windows blew out and a great cloud of dust covered the bus.”

“I got out and ran toward the bus. It was a horrible sight. There were a few bodies in the street,” he said. ”Those we saw breathing we evacuated.”

Israeli police went on alert throughout the country amid warnings that more attacks were planned, reports said.

The bombing coincides with a two-week-old Israeli military offensive against Hamas strongholds in the Gaza Strip in which dozens of Palestinians have been killed, including some civilians.