Five Israelis were murdered when an Arab suicide bomber detonated his explosives aboard Dan Bus #4, at the corner of Allenby and Rothschild Streets in the heart of Tel Aviv just before 1PM this afternoon. Everyone on the bus and in its vicinity was hurt or killed; over 50 people were treated in nearby hospitals, including one with life-threatening injuries, and another eight with seriously injuries.
The bus, which originated from the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, was heading north when it exploded just meters away from the Great Synagogue during the busy lunch hour. The bus was reduced to a heap of charred metal, and some passengers were thrown out of the bus through a large hole created by the explosion. Others got out through windows, while at least one woman tried in vain to get out through a door. Eyewitnesses were horrified to observe chunks of human flesh spread all over the ground in the vicinity of the doomed bus.
Following the blast, for which Hamas claimed responsibility, Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer convened his security chiefs to discuss the situation. Prime Minister Sharon will convene the full security cabinet this evening. An open-ended curfew was imposed this afternoon upon all PLO-controlled cities, except for Hevron. Curfews on Shechem and Jenin had been temporarily lifted this morning , possibly enabling the terrorist to reach his target.
Among the first to arrive on the scene to treat the wounded was Hatzolah rescue-team member Boaz Shabo, who lost his wife and three children in a terrorist attack in the Shomron community of Itamar this past June.
The attack came just several hours after Police Commissioner Shlomo Aharonisky told Israel Radio that the relative quiet in Israel over the past six weeks was not intentional on the Palestinians' part. Terror groups remain motivated to murder Jews, he said, echoing sentiments uttered yesterday by GSS Chief Avi Dichter to the Cabinet. Yasser Arafat said that despite the quiet of the past few weeks, Israel continued demolishing homes of terrorists and other such activity. The Palestinian Authority condemned the bombing, saying that such attacks "harm Palestinian interests."
Knesset Member Uri Ariel (National Union) spoke to Arutz-7's Ya'akov Klein several minutes after the explosion. "Yesterday it was three dead, today it's five," he said. "We must take one giant step in destroying the terrorist infrastructure. These small baby steps that we are taking are causing the spilling of more Jewish blood… We must win this battle through strength."
The bus, which originated from the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, was heading north when it exploded just meters away from the Great Synagogue during the busy lunch hour. The bus was reduced to a heap of charred metal, and some passengers were thrown out of the bus through a large hole created by the explosion. Others got out through windows, while at least one woman tried in vain to get out through a door. Eyewitnesses were horrified to observe chunks of human flesh spread all over the ground in the vicinity of the doomed bus.
Following the blast, for which Hamas claimed responsibility, Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer convened his security chiefs to discuss the situation. Prime Minister Sharon will convene the full security cabinet this evening. An open-ended curfew was imposed this afternoon upon all PLO-controlled cities, except for Hevron. Curfews on Shechem and Jenin had been temporarily lifted this morning , possibly enabling the terrorist to reach his target.
Among the first to arrive on the scene to treat the wounded was Hatzolah rescue-team member Boaz Shabo, who lost his wife and three children in a terrorist attack in the Shomron community of Itamar this past June.
The attack came just several hours after Police Commissioner Shlomo Aharonisky told Israel Radio that the relative quiet in Israel over the past six weeks was not intentional on the Palestinians' part. Terror groups remain motivated to murder Jews, he said, echoing sentiments uttered yesterday by GSS Chief Avi Dichter to the Cabinet. Yasser Arafat said that despite the quiet of the past few weeks, Israel continued demolishing homes of terrorists and other such activity. The Palestinian Authority condemned the bombing, saying that such attacks "harm Palestinian interests."
Knesset Member Uri Ariel (National Union) spoke to Arutz-7's Ya'akov Klein several minutes after the explosion. "Yesterday it was three dead, today it's five," he said. "We must take one giant step in destroying the terrorist infrastructure. These small baby steps that we are taking are causing the spilling of more Jewish blood… We must win this battle through strength."