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10 Die in Israeli Port Suicide Bombing
A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded beach restaurant in the northern Israeli port city of Haifa on Saturday, killing at least 10 people and wounding about two dozen, several of them seriously. Police said a gunman was also involved in the attack, but the circumstances were not immediately clear. The attack targeted the popular Maxim restaurant on Haifa's beach promenade on the southern edge of the city. On Saturdays, the promenade is packed with people. Police said the blast was set off by a suicide bomber, who had explosives strapped to his body. Police said 10 people were killed and about two dozen more were wounded. The attack came despite a blanket closure Israel had imposed on the West Bank and Gaza Strip ahead of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, which begins at sundown Sunday and ends at sundown Monday. Such closures are generally imposed during Jewish holidays because of increased concerns about attacks by Palestinian militants in such periods. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday's attack, the first suicide bombing since twin attacks killed 15 people on September 9, near an army base outside Tel Aviv and at a Jerusalem coffee shop. Since fighting broke out three years ago, more than 400 Israelis have been killed in 103 Palestinian suicide bombings. After the Sept. 9 bombings, Israel threatened to "remove" Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, either through expulsion or assassination, but did not say when it would take action. It is widely believed that a major attack with many casualties could trigger Israeli measures against Arafat. The Palestinian Authority had no immediate comment. David Baker, an official in Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office, said Israel demands that the Palestinian Authority take immediate steps against militant groups. "The bombing in Haifa is another indication that the Palestinian Authority continues to refuse to take even minimal steps against the terrorist infrastructure," he said. Posted by: Sickened Anonymous 2003-10-04 |
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