Death toll in Haifa suicide bombing rises to 19

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, October 05, 2003

Death toll in Haifa suicide bombing rises to 19

At least 19 people were killed and 40 others injured, six seriously, in a suicide bombing attack inside a restaurant in northern Israel's coastal city of Haifa,local rescue workers confirmed.

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Haifa suicide bombing

At least 19 people were killed and 40 others injured, six seriously, in a suicide bombing attack inside a restaurant in northern Israel's coastal city of Haifa, local rescue workers confirmed.

The explosion occurred at around 14:15 p.m. (1115 GMT) inside the "Maxim" restaurant on the Ha'hagana street at the southern entrance to Haifa. The restaurant has been completely demolished by the powerful blast.

Local police commander Yaakov Borovsky confirmed that there had been gunfire before the blast. The bomber gunned down a security guard at the entrance to the restaurant before blowing himself up. Casualties of the attack was extremely high since the attack occurred when the restaurant was packed with lunch diners.

Xinhua correspondent saw bodies lying on the ground at the scene and the building was completely destroyed.

This was the first suicide bombing attack inside Israel since the Israeli security cabinet decided in principle to remove Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Sept. 11.

It was also one of the deadest attacks against the Israelis in the past three years of the Palestinian intifada (uprising). No Palestinian group has thus far claimed responsibility for the Haifa suicide bombing.

Starting from Friday, Israeli security forces have been on high alert ahead of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, which will fall on Sunday evening, and a full closure has been imposed on the West Bank and Gaza Strip until the end of the holiday on Monday evening.

Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for Haifa bombing

The Islamic Jihad group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the Israeli port city of Haifa on Saturday and said the suicide bomber was a woman from the West Bank town of Jenin.

Saraya Al Quds, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, said in a statement delivered to the press that the woman bomber was Hanadi Jaradat, 29, who was a lawyer and whose brother was killed by Israeli soldiers a few months ago in the town.

The group said the attack was in response to a series of ongoing crimes committed by the Jewish state against the Palestinian people day and night in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The security separation fence that has been build and continued to be built in the West Bank "would never bring security to the criminal Zionists," it added.

The Haifa bombing was one of the deadliest attacks against the Israelis in the past three years of bloodshed. It was also the first suicide bombing attack inside Israel since the Israeli security cabinet decided to remove Arafat in principle.

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