Palestinian Bomber Kills Three in Israeli city of Netanya

19/05/2002| IslamWeb

HIGHLIGHTS: PA Condemns the Bombing||PFLP Claims Responsibility||Bomber and Another Man Killed on the Spot||STORY: A Palestinian bomber blew himself up in an Israeli market on Sunday, killing three other people and shattering a sense of security that had slowly been returning to public places in Israel.

The blast in the seaside city of Netanya raised the spectre of military retaliation nearly two weeks after Israel called off a planned Gaza Strip offensive following a Palestinian suicide bombing that killed 15 Israelis near Tel Aviv.

In a statement, the Palestinian Authority said it "condemned the operation that targeted Israeli civilians in Netanya".

It was the second attack on the city within two months, following an attack on a hotel which killed 29 in March.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said it carried out Sunday's bombing, which also wounded more than 35 people.

The bomber and another man were killed on the spot in the fruit and vegetable market and two others died in hospital, medical officials said.

Witnesses said the market was relatively empty at the start of the Israeli work week.

PHOTO CAPTION
Police inspect the area of an explosion in Netanya, Israel Sunday May 19, 2002. Shortly after a warning of a suicide attack, a Palestinian bomber disguised in an army uniform slipped into a fruit and vegetable market and detonated his explosive, killing two Israelis. The overall number of injured was put at between 28 and 50, according to Israeli authorities. (AP Photo/Uriel Sinai)