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sabertooth1217
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 Tue Sep 09, 2003 5:24 pm Suicide bombers kill 10 in Mideast |
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| Quote: | JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Suicide bombers in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem killed at least 11 people Tuesday and wounded dozens, Israeli police said.
The latest terrorist bombing killed five people and left bodies strewn about an outdoor terrace of a caf� in West Jerusalem, officials said. Hours earlier a suicide bomber killed six people east of Tel Aviv.
Hamas' military wing has claimed responsibility for both attacks.
In Jerusalem, emergency services officials said there were at least 41 people injured the cafe bombing.
Eli Beer, who works for an emergency rescue unit in Jerusalem, said the suicide bomber tried but failed to get inside the cafe because of the guard at the door.
"There were a lot of people sitting outside the restaurant, so that's why he decided to blow himself up outside the restaurant," Beer told CNN.
Chaos reigned on the street as ambulances tried to squeeze between crowds of fleeing people. Some people wept in disbelief, while others tried to comfort them.
Cafe Hillel is in a suburb about five miles outside Jerusalem's center and has about a dozen tables on the sidewalk outside. It is situated in an area of several cafes and is frequented by young people.
Earlier, a suicide bomber set off a powerful explosion at a bus stop near an Israeli army post east of Tel Aviv. Fifteen people were seriously wounded in addition to the six killed, Israeli police said.
Ahmed Qorei, the designated Palestinian Authority prime minister, condemned both attacks, saying they are not helpful.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces said Ahmed Bader, the Hamas military leader responsible for the suicide bombing of a Jerusalem bus that killed 21 people, was killed in an overnight operation.
Since the August 19 terrorist attack, the road map to peace has suffered setback after setback, with Israel saying it will continue to target militant leaders, Palestinian militant groups lifting a self-imposed cease-fire and Mahmoud Abbas resigning as Palestinian prime minister.
The first blast Tuesday occurred about 6 p.m. (11 a.m. EDT) when soldiers and employees at a nearby hospital would have been at the bus stop -- which also serves as a hitchhiking station -- to head home at the end of their work day.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in India for an official state visit, was told about the Tel Aviv bombing before he began a dinner with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, according to senior adviser Ra'anan Gissin.
"Terror is a worldwide problem that must be fought without compromise and relentlessly," Gissin quoted Sharon as saying. "There can be no compromise on the fight on terror."
Jonathan Peled, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said Israel's contacts with the Palestinians for peace talks would remain suspended.
"The enemies of peace have struck again," he said. "We are demanding that the Palestinian Authority make a strategic choice to fight terrorism and ... not condone acts of terrorism against Israel."
Hamas leader 'killed in gunfight'
Tuesday's bombings were the first suicide attacks since August 19. Since the August 19 terrorist attack, Israel has carried out a series of what it calls targeted attacks against Hamas leaders.
With the reported killing of Ahmed Bader, Israel has killed at least 13 Hamas figures since August 19, and one was left brain dead. But more than 50 Palestinian bystanders have been injured and at least two have been reported killed in the Israeli attacks.
One of those civilians reported killed was a 13-year-old boy who the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said was killed during the Israeli gunfight with Bader and an accomplice in Hebron overnight.
Bader and an associate died in the shootout with Israeli soldiers who were trying to arrest him, an IDF spokesman said.
The spokesman said the operation began Monday night, when IDF forces went to the neighborhood and ordered residents of the building to evacuate.
Gunmen opened fire on the Israeli troops, who fired back with small arms and tanks only after other residents had been cleared from the scene, the IDF spokesman said.
"A special task force broke into the first floor of the building to take control and apprehend the terrorists who refused to turn themselves in despite the IDF's repeated calls," the spokesman said.
The two wanted men opened fire on the soldiers, who returned fire and killed them, the spokesman said. Rifles, a pistol and night-vision equipment were found on their bodies, an IDF statement said.
Israel on high alert
Israeli security has been on high alert since the spiritual leader of Hamas declared Sunday that the group's jihad against Israel would continue.
Among the measures it has taken was the closure of the West Bank and Gaza to bar Palestinians from entering Israel.
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin's threat followed Israel's failed attempt on his life Saturday in Gaza. Yassin escaped with a minor injury to his hand after an Israeli jet bombed a building where he and other Hamas leaders were meeting.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades all have called off their cease-fires citing Israeli aggression. All three are designated terrorist organizations by the U.S State Department.
Friday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas resigned his post, citing "Israel's unwillingness to implement its road map commitments" and a lack of sufficient support from the United States and the international community as well as opposition within the Palestinian Authority.
Abbas and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat had been engaged in a power struggle over who controlled the Palestinian security apparatus.
Arafat said Monday he was nominating Qorei, the legislative speaker, to replace Abbas, but Qorei said he would accept the nomination only if he receives guarantees of support from Europe and the United States.
CNN's Matthew Chance in Tel Aviv and Jerrold Kessel in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
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Theresa
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Location: United States of America
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