24 Dead In Tel Aviv Suicide Attack.

By VOA News & IsraelNationalNews.com

Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at targets in the Gaza Strip just hours after two suicide bombings killed at least 24 people and 80 wounded, some critically, in central Tel Aviv late Sunday. There were no immediate reports of casualties

The explosions occurred during the evening rush hour near the old central bus station, the same area where a suicide bombing occurred in August. Rescue efforts were hampered by the narrow streets of Tel Aviv's older quarter where the explosion occurred.

The attack took place at the end of the working day in an area of Tel Aviv popular with foreign workers. The neighborhood is an easy target in part because terrorists blend in easily among the foreign residents. Israeli television showed rescue personnel rushing to the scene and working feverishly on the victims. An Israeli government spokesman blamed, what he called "terrorist groups" supported by Yasir Arafat's Palestinian Authority. A senior Palestinian official denied those charges, saying Israeli policies were to blame for such violence.

Two radical Palestinian groups claimed responsibility for the attacks, Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which is linked to Arafat's Fatah movement. The blasts came three weeks before Israel's Jan. 28 general election. The last bombing in an Israeli city was on Nov. 21, when a Palestinian suicide bomber blew up a bus in Jerusalem, killing himself and 11 passengers.

Many of the injured in the attacks are laborers from foreign lands, many in Israel illegally. Minister of the Interior Eli Yishai, immigration police, and other related officials announced that all foreign laborers in the Tel Aviv area need not fear deportation following the attacks. Following the horrific attacks, government officials arranged for English language television broadcasts and the establishment of multi-language hotline information number.

The message to foreigners was not to fear arrest or prosecution. All foreign laborers in Tel Aviv who may have been injured in the attack are urged to seek medical attention. Those wishing to give testimony to police or just visit friends or relatives in Tel Aviv area hospitals are urged to do so without fear of any action begin taken against them due to their illegal status.

Several of the bodies were so badly burned or ripped by shrapnel that police said they would be difficult to identify. One of the witnesses of Sunday's double suicide bombing in Tel Aviv said that he knew there would be a high number of casualties in the attack as soon as he felt the explosion. "I heard the explosion, I felt the shock wave. I realized there would be many casualties. We looked for people who were breathing. I called over to them. I counted quite a few seriously wounded. People were lying there," Alon Oz, an eyewitness, told Army Radio.

Other witnesses said there was extensive destruction of nearby buildings and even some people inside houses and shops were among the wounded. One eyewitness reported seeing sights more horrifying than anything he had ever seen. "I saw a man without a leg. I saw horrible things, people without legs, without arms. I saw fingers." An Israeli mother rushed to a body being carried away, covered in a blanket. Unrestrained by rescue workers, she lifted the blanket, and cried: "That's my son! That's him!"

Police indicated that the two bombs were extremely powerful, containing between 22 and 33 lbs of explosive materials. This was discerned by the widespread damage to the areas of the explosions, despite the fact the bombs were detonated outside in non-contained areas.

For comparison purposes, the bomb in the Park Hotel in Netanya on March 27, 2002 that murdered 29 and wounded over 130 contained less the 22 pounds of explosives. The same is true with the bomb used in the June 1, 2002 attack in Tel Aviv's Dolphinarium Discotheque that claimed 21 lives and left over 120 wounded.

In addition to the large quantity of explosives, the bombs contained a lot of metallic bolts, nuts, and nails to maximize the carnage. Because of the size and weight of the bombs, police believe the bombers were not wearing bomb belts or vests but were carrying bags with the large devices in them.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the suicide bombings as a "terrorist" attack and said it would act against those behind it. "The Palestinian leadership, which condemns firmly and stands with all determination against crimes conducted against Palestinian civilians...announces its total condemnation of these terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians."

President George W. Bush condemned the latest suicide bombings. White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said the attackers want to derail the peace process, but she stressed that the president will not be deterred. Echoing statements made by the Bush administration after similar attacks in the past, she told reporters that innocent people have a right to live in safety.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was on his way to a festive gathering of young Jewish visitors when he was informed of the attack. He insisted on speaking at the engagement, albeit more briefly than planned.

"We see again today the severe nature of things that the State of Israel is facing," he told the audience. "Our goal is to stop the brutal terror and to achieve calm and quiet. Only when the brutal nature of terror is stopped, only then we will be able to talk peace. All attempts to reach a ceasefire, even today, are failing due to the Palestinian leadership, which continues to support, fund, and initiate terror.

"We need you here now more than ever," Sharon told participants in the Birthright Israel program, an organization that brings Jewish young people on free gift trips to Israel. "When I look at you, thousands of youngsters who came from all around the world, I know we can look forward with optimism and I am sure that together with you we will be able to achieve the hopes and dream of Israel." He called on the young people in the audience to immigrate to Israel. "We want you to make aliya."

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