Suicide blast kills 2 Israelis

By Jamie Tarabay

Associated Press Writer

PETACH TIKVAH, Israel — A suicide bomber blew himself up at an ice cream parlor in an outdoor mall near Tel Aviv on Monday, also killing two others including a 2-year-old girl whose bloodstained stroller lay on its side after the blast amid a tangle of white plastic chairs. About 20 were wounded.

The attack, which came as Israeli troops continued operations against Palestinian militants in several West Bank towns, demonstrated how exposed Israel’s heartland remains to attackers who appear able to cross into its territory with virtual impunity, despite a high-security alert.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces early this morning entered the West Bank town of Jenin, Palestinian security sources said. The Israeli military confirmed that an operation was in progress, but gave no details.

Earlier Monday, Israel’s army declared a curfew in Bethlehem, where troops arrested militants and searched for arms and explosives as part of a policy of quick raids on Palestinian towns. Troops also conducted sweeps of two other West Bank towns, Tulkarem and Qalqilya.

In another development, the Palestinian Cabinet said Monday it was "possible" that presidential and parliamentary elections would be held in December. The Cabinet statement did not make clear if the elections would definitely be held at that time.

According to police, the bomber set off his explosive in the early evening outside the Espresso Bar, an ice cream parlor and coffee shop in the outdoor section of the Em Hamoshavot mall in Petach Tikvah, a town just east of Tel Aviv and six miles from the West Bank.

"I saw a baby that had half a regular face, and half a face that was just blood and flesh," said Shai Gat, a 19-year-old soldier who arrived at the scene a few minutes after the attack. "The owner of the nearby photo shop was vomiting and crying. … There was blood all over the floor."

Police and hospital officials said the explosion killed a woman and the 2-year-old girl and wounded about 20 people, including several infants.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militia linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the attack in a message to The Associated Press. The statement said, "We will not stop our operation as long as the occupation continues in our land."

In the Balata refugee camp next to Nablus, several Al Aqsa gunmen fired in the air and said the operation was retaliation for Israel’s killing of Al Aqsa leader Mahmoud Titi in a shelling last week.

Palestinians said the bomber was Jihad Titi, 18, a cousin of the dead leader. However, the Al Aqsa leaflet did not mention his name. It would illustrate the increasing involvement of teen-agers in suicide bomb attacks. On Wednesday, a 16-year-old bomber blew himself up in Rishon Letzion, city nine miles south of Tel Aviv, also killing two Israelis.