Revenge bombers kill at least 16 in Israeli bombing

Palestinian suicide bombers on a revenge mission blew up two buses seconds apart in southern Israel today, killing at least 16 passengers and wounding more than 80.

It was the first suicide bombings inside Israel for nearly six months and was claimed by militant group Hamas as vengence for the assassination of their spiritual leader.

The explosions ended a period of relative calm. Israel has attributed the lull to its crackdown on Palestinian militants and continued construction of its separation barrier in the West Bank.

Palestinian militants have acknowledged they have faced increasing difficulties carrying out attacks.

The two buses blew up 15 seconds apart, about 100 yards from a busy intersection in the centre of Beersheba. “People were screaming and yelling. Everybody was running,” said witness Tzika Schreter, a 50-year-old college lecturer.

Rescue workers scoured the scene, cleaning up body parts and scattered pieces of the wreckage as dozens of onlookers gathered nearby. A hand with a ring lay on a charred seat, and blood was splattered on the walls of the mangled buses.

The blasts came hours after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon presented to his Likud party the most detailed timetable yet for Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and warned party rebels the plan “will be implemented, period.”

After the attacks, Sharon met top security officials to plan a response. Israel has historically struck hard at militant targets after suicide bombings. “Israel will continue fighting terror with all its might,” Sharon said, pledging to push forward with the Gaza pullout.

Police said the messy scene was complicating the recovery of bodies and warned the death toll could rise. They said the 16 people did not include the bombers.

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said 30 of the wounded were in serious or moderate condition.

Authorities stepped up security throughout Beersheba after the attacks, placing checkpoints on major roads and snarling traffic in and out of the city.

In Gaza, Muslim leaders praised the “heroic operation” over mosque loudspeakers.

The attack was the deadliest since a female suicide bomber killed 21 people nearly a year ago in the northern city of Haifa. Militants hadn’t carried out a major attack in Israel since March 14, when 11 people were killed in the port of Ashdod.

That attack prompted Israel to assassinate Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of Hamas, and his successor, Abdel Aziz Rantisi. Hamas has repeatedly pledged to avenge their deaths, but had been unable to carry out a major attack inside Israel, despite many attempts.

Israeli radio reports tentatively identified one of the bombers as Ahmed Qawasmeh from the West Bank city of Hebron, the closest Palestinian city to Beersheba, and soldiers later went to his home to question relatives.

Hamas distributed a leaflet in Hebron claiming responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, but did not name the bombers.

“If you thought that the martyrdom of our leaders would weaken our missions and discourage us from Jihad, then you are dreaming,” the statement said.

Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups have carried out more than 100 suicide bombings over the past four years, but the pace of attacks has slowed considerably this year.

Israel has attributed the slowdown to its success in fighting militants and the West Bank barrier – not a lack of effort by armed Palestinian groups.

Israel has arrested or killed dozens of militants in recent months, maintains dozens of roadblocks in the West Bank and placed security guards near busy bus stops in Israeli cities. It also operates an efficient intelligence network in the Palestinian areas.

But Israeli officials today repeatedly cited the barrier, which has drawn international condemnation, as the main reason for the slowdown in attacks. The barrier, which is about one-quarter complete, has not yet reached the Hebron area.

“Unfortunately Israel has to lose more innocent civilians to prove to the world the necessity and justice of the fence,” said Dore Gold, an adviser to Sharon.

Earlier today, the Israeli army caught a Palestinian man with an explosives belt strapped under his clothing as he tried to cross into Israel from the Gaza Strip.

Gaza is fenced off from Israel, and militants have had trouble reaching Israel from there.

Palestinian leaders condemned the attack and called for an immediate cease-fire and resumption of peace talks.

“The Palestinian interest requires a stop to harming all civilians so as not give Israel pretext to continue its aggression against our people,” Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said in a statement.

Sharon refuses to negotiate with the Palestinians. Instead, he has called for a unilateral withdrawal next year from the Gaza Strip and four isolated West Bank settlements. He says the moves will improve Israel’s security.

In Jerusalem, a Sharon ally in the Cabinet said the Gaza withdrawal could begin by the end of the year, or several months ahead of schedule.

The initial plan called for the withdrawals to be completed in four stages by September 2005. Each phase was to be presented to the Cabinet for approval.

With opposition mounting in Likud and in the Cabinet, Sharon is pushing for a swifter withdrawal.