From Jerusalem Post:Fatah is the party run by Palestinian Preseident Abbas.
First suicide bombing in Eilat kills at least three Yaakov katz and jpost staff, THE JERUSALEM POST Jan. 29, 2007
In the first suicide bombing to strike Israel's southernmost city, a bomber blew himself up in an Eilat bakery shortly before 9:30 a.m. Monday morning, killing at least three people and wounding an unknown number of others.
Director of MDA in Eilat Robert Tolesco said that when paramedics arrived on the scene, they had found no one in need of medical attention. Surprisingly, only three people arrived at Yosephtal Hospital in Eilat following the bombing. All three required treatment for shock, and one woman was also suffering from ringing in her ears as a result of the explosion.
While police had originally said that there was no evidence that the blast was terror-related, investigations at the scene of the attack revealed that, in fact, a suicide bomber had entered the bakery, located in a shopping center in one of Eilat's older neighborhoods, and detonated an explosives belt. Benny Mazgini, 45, said he was in an apartment across the street when the building shook from the force of the blast. "It was awful - there was smoke, pieces of flesh all over the place," Mazgini said. Eilat firefighter Shahar Zaid told Channel 2 that the bombing had not resulted in a blaze, as often occurs after an explosion, and that because the bomber had blown up inside the bakery, the damage had been comparatively contained.
The Fatah-affiliated Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades, the Islamic Jihad (which until recently refused to sign any cease-fire agreements), and a new terror group calling itself "Army of Believers" claimed joint responsibility for the attack.
According to Channel 2, Eilat authorities had recently received warnings of possible terror attacks. However, police later denied that there had been warnings. Eilat's police commander said his forces were working to secure the city. "Our assumption is that it's not one bomber, and there might be more bombers in Eilat right now," Stein said. Some two hours after the bombing, roadblocks had been erected at all entrances to and exits from Eilat.
Security sources also told Army Radio that at least two local residents had spotted the bomber - who may have originally intended to strike a more crowded area - and called the police. After the bomber saw a police car approaching, he blew himself up. Police and the Shin Bet were looking into the possibility that the bomber had infiltrated Israel from the Sinai Peninsula. Global Jihad cells are known to be operating just south of Israel's border with Egypt. Only Saturday, Egyptian security forces arrested a 17-year-old Alexandria resident who told a taxi driver in Sinai that he intended to execute a suicide bombing in Israel. No suicide attacks have been carried out in Israel since April 17, 2006, when nine people were killed after a bomber blew himself up at a shwarma restaurant in Tel Aviv's old central bus station. Islamic Jihad claimed that attack.The Taba crossing to Sinai is closed and a terror alert has been declared in all parts of Israel following the Eilat attack. Saturday, a 17-year old from Alexandria, where an al Qaeda cell is believed located, was apprehended in Sinai heading for a suicide bombing in Israel. The Egyptian-Israeli border is wide open to smugglers, terrorists and arms traffickers. The explosive charge the Eilat bomber carried was packed with up to 8 kilos of explosives, but no shrapnel fragments. In its Sinai attacks, Al Qaeda has used large bombs consisting of explosives but no shrapnel, whereas Palestinian terrorists habitually lace their bombs with steel shards to maximize casualties.
The bomber is thought to have crossed from Gaza into Sinai, collected the explosive charge and then infiltrated Israel. The last suicide attack in Israel was carried out in a Tel Aviv pizza parlor last April and killed 11 people.
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