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Two deadly attacks stop Israeli release of 76 Palestinians

An apparent suicide bomber detonated an explosion outside a supermarket in central Israel yesterday, killing at least one Israeli and shattering a summer of relative calm that has prevailed since a ceasefire by Palestinian militants on June 29.

A short time later, a second suicide attack was reported near the Jewish West Bank settlement of Ariel. Police said three people were injured in the Ariel blast when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a bus stop near the entrance to the settlement.

Israel responded to the two bombings by delaying the release of 76 Palestinian prisoners that had been intended as a gesture to bolster a US-backed peace plan, an Israeli government source said.

The prisoners, all held on criminal charges such as illegal entry into Israel or car theft, had been due to be freed starting at yesterday. Palestinian officials had dismissed the release as a sham.

An eyewitness told Israel Radio that Israelis shot a suicide bomber as he approached the bus stop. He detonated his explosives, killing himself and seriously injuring three bystanders, the radio said.

Rescue workers said two bodies were found at the scene of the first blast, and at least one was believed to be that of the bomber. The identity of the other body was not known.

Eleven people were injured, one seriously, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said. One of the injured later died, Israeli television reported.

The blast sparked a large fire in the supermarket in the town of Rosh Haayin, just outside Tel Aviv and close to the line between Israel and the West Bank.

Firefighters with breathing equipment pulled casualties out of the shattered store.

Police had been on high alert in the area following warnings of an impending attack in central Israel.

Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner condemned the "murderous attack in an Israeli town" 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 organizations."

The attack violated a June 29 ceasefire declared by the three main Palestinian groups, which brought a sharp decline in violence.
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