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| Tel Aviv bus bombing raises fears in Israel that Gaza conflict will spread | Tel Aviv bus bombing raises fears in Israel that Gaza conflict will spread |
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| The scorch marks and blown-out windows of a Tel Aviv bus have raised fears in Israel that the war in Gaza is poised to spread to major Israeli population centres, reviving traumatic memories of past bombings of buses, cafes and other public places. | |
| A bomb left on the number 142 bus exploded around noon on Wednesday just yards from the headquarters of the Israeli Defence Forces, spreading shards of glass across the road and pavement. Fifteen people were taken to hospital, three of them with moderate to serious injuries. Police said it was a terrorist attack. | |
| For Tamara Kessel, 54, who was standing next to the bus at the time, the blast brought back the loss of her unborn child in a bus bombing in the city in 1996. "I heard the blast, and fell to the ground," she said, still shaking with shock more than an hour later. "This was the last thing I was expecting. You cannot live like this. All these traumas – it just goes on." | For Tamara Kessel, 54, who was standing next to the bus at the time, the blast brought back the loss of her unborn child in a bus bombing in the city in 1996. "I heard the blast, and fell to the ground," she said, still shaking with shock more than an hour later. "This was the last thing I was expecting. You cannot live like this. All these traumas – it just goes on." |
| Speaking at the scene, a police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, said: "It's very clear that this is a terrorist attack." The bomb had been left on the bus, and police had set up road blocks around the city in an effort to catch the perpetrators. | |
| "There was no specific warning of an attack," he added, although security forces had been on high alert since the start of Israel's military offensive on Gaza a week ago. | "There was no specific warning of an attack," he added, although security forces had been on high alert since the start of Israel's military offensive on Gaza a week ago. |
| In Gaza, celebratory gunfire was heard as news of the blast spread. Hamas praised the attack, without claiming direct responsibility for it. "We consider it a natural response to the occupation crimes and the ongoing massacres against civilians in the Gaza Strip," a spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, told the Associated Press. | In Gaza, celebratory gunfire was heard as news of the blast spread. Hamas praised the attack, without claiming direct responsibility for it. "We consider it a natural response to the occupation crimes and the ongoing massacres against civilians in the Gaza Strip," a spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, told the Associated Press. |
| Israel's deputy prime minister, Silvan Shalom, who heard the explosion from his office, said the attack was an "escalation". | Israel's deputy prime minister, Silvan Shalom, who heard the explosion from his office, said the attack was an "escalation". |
| David Magriso, a lawyer, rushed to the scene from his nearby offices when he heard the blast, thinking it was a rocket fired from Gaza. "There was a lot of smoke and people running. The security forces were on the scene very quickly." | |
| Yafa Kessler, 46, who was also close to the scene, said it immediately reminded her of previous attacks. "It surprised and frightened me because I thought the war was in the south. I didn't expect it to happen here. Now I'm too scared to get on a bus." | Yafa Kessler, 46, who was also close to the scene, said it immediately reminded her of previous attacks. "It surprised and frightened me because I thought the war was in the south. I didn't expect it to happen here. Now I'm too scared to get on a bus." |
| Wearing bright blue surgical gloves and a reflective jacket, the paramedic Israel Kornik said he had helped an injured passenger off the wrecked bus. "She cried like a baby," he said. "As I took her to the ambulance, she said 'tell [prime minister] Binyamin Netanyahu to be strong. Don't stop, finish the job [in Gaza], go forward." | |
| Others in the crowd also said that the attack had made a ground offensive inside Gaza more likely. "We need to finish this war for once and for all," said one. | Others in the crowd also said that the attack had made a ground offensive inside Gaza more likely. "We need to finish this war for once and for all," said one. |
| Militants have fired at least four rockets from Gaza, 40 miles to the south, at Tel Aviv over the past week but none have made a direct hit. Israel has stationed an Iron Dome anti-missile defence battery to the south of the city. | Militants have fired at least four rockets from Gaza, 40 miles to the south, at Tel Aviv over the past week but none have made a direct hit. Israel has stationed an Iron Dome anti-missile defence battery to the south of the city. |
| Chaim Shafir, who lives in the area, said: "Paradoxically, maybe this will do some good. People only stop fighting when both sides realise there is no point. Maybe some sense will start to emerge." | Chaim Shafir, who lives in the area, said: "Paradoxically, maybe this will do some good. People only stop fighting when both sides realise there is no point. Maybe some sense will start to emerge." |
| Describing himself as a game inventor, he said: "Everything is a game in the end. From a gaming point of view, this [conflict] is a tie." | Describing himself as a game inventor, he said: "Everything is a game in the end. From a gaming point of view, this [conflict] is a tie." |
| Speaking shortly after landing in Cairo to promote ceasefire talks, the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, condemned the attack. In a statement, the White House said attacks "against innocent Israeli civilians are outrageous … The United States reaffirms our unshakeable commitment to Israel's security and our deep friendship and solidarity with the Israeli people." | Speaking shortly after landing in Cairo to promote ceasefire talks, the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, condemned the attack. In a statement, the White House said attacks "against innocent Israeli civilians are outrageous … The United States reaffirms our unshakeable commitment to Israel's security and our deep friendship and solidarity with the Israeli people." |
| Shortly before the blast, the British foreign office minister Alistair Burt, on an official visit to the region, warned that efforts to reach a ceasefire could be derailed. "The longer time this goes on, there is more chance of a rocket causing serious death or injury, or an air strike changing things dramatically," he said. "The ceasefire is in the balance, and it depends on events. Both sides could move close and then an unexpected event could throw it." |