4 people Killed in a Suicide Bombing attack at Tel Aviv Club

Four people were killed in a suicide bomber attack outside a Tel Aviv nightclub, shattering the uneasy, unofficial truce between Israel and the Palestinians. Dozens of people were hurt in the blast. The bomb went off near a pedestrian walkway popular with tourists. Tel Aviv’s police chief said security guards kept the bomber from going into the club, thereby saving lives.

Mahmoud Abbas the Palestinian leader is pledging to track down those responsible.
Shortly before midnight local time, in an area near the coastal city’s popular promenade, the explosion tore through a crowd waiting to get in to the busy Stage nightclub. “I was near the club. There were about 20 people outside. Suddenly, there was an enormous explosion,” a witness identified as Tsahi told The Associated Press.

“They were all scattered to the sides,” another witness, Liora, told CTV News in Hebrew, “at that moment they were all blown away.” The blast ripped off the club’s facade, and shattered nearby windows. Israeli rescuers counted at least five dead, The Associated Press reports. Israeli army radio said at least 55 others were wounded. In the hours after the blast, Israeli media reported that the militant group Islamic Jihad had claimed responsibility.

“Islamic Jihad claims responsibility (for the bombing) in Tel Aviv,” an unnamed spokesperson was quoted by Reuters. “This is a martyrdom operation that shows we are not committed to the ceasefire because Israel is continuing to kill and arrest Palestinians.” The Palestinian Authority vowed to track down those behind the bombing. Israel said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had to crack down on militants instead of just talking to the factions to preserve the cease-fire he agreed on Feb. 8.

A cell of the militant Islamic Jihad group in the West Bank claimed the attack, but the faction’s leadership in the Gaza Strip denied any knowledge and said it would continue to maintain a calm that has lasted for several weeks. “A single terrorist exploded in a line of people waiting to get into the club,” said Tel Aviv police Chief David Tzur. It was the first Palestinian bombing in Israel since three people were killed in a Tel Aviv open-air market on Nov 1.

Ambulances, lights flashing, rushed to the night club in a scene many Israelis had begun to believe they had put behind them. Pieces of flesh were spattered on parked cars and blood stained the pavement. “The Palestinian Authority will not be silent about this sabotage and it will pursue whoever stands behind this act and will inflict the required punishment,” a statement from Abbas’s government said. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was to meet senior security officials on Saturday to discuss the response. His spokesman said the Palestinians must take action to preserve the cease-fire agreed at a groundbreaking summit.