A Palestinian militant yesterday blew himself up near a group of Jewish seminary students waiting for their school bus, killing two of the teenagers. Four people were hurt, one critically. In two other Israeli towns, bombs were discovered in time and safely exploded.
The Islamic militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for the deadly blast, and said seven more suicide bombers were ready to strike.
Witness Rafael Somer, 15, said the assailant, an Arab man in his late 20s, approached the students as they waited at a gas station near the West Bank.
"He looked at them. Then the explosion went off. I was hurled backwards. When I got up, I saw one of my friends without hands. Another friend was torn apart," said the lightly injured Somer, suppressing tears.
The boys killed in the blast were identified as Eliran Rosenberg, 16, and Naftali Landskoren, 14.
In the Gaza Strip town of Rafah, meanwhile, a 9-year-old Palestinian boy was killed and three other children were critically wounded when an Israeli shell they played with exploded, doctors said. All of those hurt were younger than 12. Their names were not immediately available.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called an emergency session of his security Cabinet for yesterday afternoon. Sharon, elected on a promise to restore security to Israelis, is under growing pressure to respond harshly. However, Israel's police commissioner said little more could be done to prevent suicide attacks.
Israel held Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat ultimately responsible, saying he has released hundreds of Islamic militants from prison in recent months. Sharon aides also said Palestinian Authority officials have authorized attacks on Israelis.
"The accusing finger is pointed at one man only, Yasser Arafat. Neither the terrorist nor those who sent him will go unpunished," said Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.
Palestinian Cabinet Minister Nabil Amr denied the Palestinian Authority had any ties to the bombings. He called on Israel to resume peace talks and lift travel restrictions on Palestinians, in effect for most of the past six months of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.
Yesterday's blast went off shortly after 7:30am in the parking lot of a gas station near the communal farm of Sdeh Hemed, close to the West Bank town of Qalqiliya.
After the blast, white blankets covered the three bodies lying on the ground near the gas pumps. Troops sealed off the area, searching for additional explosives.
Also yesterday morning, two bombs were discovered and safely exploded in the open-air markets of the towns of Netanya and Petah Tikvah.
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