Israeli occupation soldiers early Tuesday destroyed the house of relatives of the resistance bomber who blew himself up in the Israeli city of Netanya this week, wounding dozens, Palestinians said. The bomber, identified by the resistance Islamic Jihad group as Rami Ghanem, 20, set off explosives strapped to his body at a sidewalk cafe in the seaside resort city on Sunday, wounding 49 people.

In a statement a few hours after the bombing, Islamic Jihad said the attack was "Palestine's gift to the heroic people of Iraq." The movement also said it had sent bombers to Iraq to kill American and British invaders.

Islamic Jihad is the smaller of two resistance movements that have claimed responsibility for dozens of bombings that have killed hundreds of Israeli settlers and occupation soldiers.

Witnesses said that before daybreak Tuesday, Israeli forces entered the village of Dir Rasoun, near the town of Tulkarem on the line between Israel and the West Bank, and destroyed the Ghanem family home.

In 30 months of Palestinian-Israeli violence, bombers have struck Netanya six times. On March 27, 2001, a bomber blew up a Netanya hotel lobby, killing 29, the deadliest of the 88 bombings since the current violence erupted in September 2000.

Netanya is at Israel's narrowest point, where the line with the West Bank is just nine miles from the Mediterranean coast.
Last year Israel began building a security fence to keep Palestinian attackers out of the country.

On Monday an Islamic Jihad leader said the group would step up attacks in Israel in solidarity with the people of Iraq, but a leader of another resistance group - the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, said it would suspend attacks against Israel while the war in Iraq continues.

However, other leaders of the same group said they would continue targeting Israeli occupation soldiers and settlers in the West Bank.

PHOTO CAPTION

Islamic Jihad resistance bomber Rami Ghanem, 20, from the West bank town of Tulkarem is seen in this undated family handout picture. (AP Photo/HO/Family)