Twin suicide bombings rock Israel and the West Bank

Twin suicide bombings targeted a supermarket in Israel and a Jewish settlement in the West Bank today, shattering a summer of relative calm since the Palestinian militant groups declared a ceasefire.

At least one Israeli was killed along with the bomber outside the supermarket in Rosh Haayin, just outside Tel Aviv. Ten people were wounded, rescuers said.

And in an almost simultaneous attack, police said three people were injured when another suicide bomber blew up at the entrance to Ariel settlement.

One witness said settlers shot the bomber as he approached a bus stop by the gates. But he staggered on and detonated his explosives, killing himself and seriously injuring three bystanders.

The blast in Rosh Haayin sparked a large fire in the supermarket, and firefighters in breathing equipment dragged casualties out of the shattered store.

Violence has fallen sharply since the main Palestinian militant groups declared a ceasefire on June 29.

The last suicide attack in Israel was on July 7, when a bomber blew himself up in a house in the centre of the country, killing an elderly women.

Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner condemned the “murderous attack” in Rosh Haayin, and said he held the Palestinian leadership responsible.

“This is the result of the inaction on the part of the Palestinian Authority,” he said. “They have not dismantled terrorist organisations.”

Ismail Hanniye, a spokesman for the militant group Hamas, said it was still committed to the ceasefire.

“We cannot pinpoint who stands behind this operation,” he said.

But, he added, “this situation was born as a result of Israel’s refusal to commit to the Palestinian (truce).”