Death Toll Rises to 13 in Jerusalem Suicide Bombing

The death toll in the Jerusalem blasts has risen to 13 as the rescue operations are still continuing, Israeli police and hospital officials said Thursday.

Among the dead, at least six were infants, with the youngest aged one, they added.

Meanwhile, the figure of the wounded reached 70 and many are in critical conditions, they added.

Commenting on the bombing incident, Danny Naveh, Minister without Portfolio for Liaison Between the Knesset (parliament) and government, said the Israeli government holds the Palestinian (National) Authority responsible for the explosion.

Despite the repeated calls by the Israeli side, the Palestinian leadership refused to take measures to curb Palestinian attacks against Israel and it must be responsible for such a terrible attack in the center of Jerusalem, he said.

A powerful bomb exploded Thursday at the center of Jerusalem and Israeli police confirmed the blast was a suicide bombing carried out by Palestinian extremists.

Shortly after the blast, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called his security cabinet for a meeting in Tel Aviv to discuss the incident and whether Israel would take military actions against the Palestinians in retaliation for the bombing.

The bomb went off around 2:00 p.m. (1100 GMT) at a Pizza food shop on Evan Ysrael street, which is located at the junction of King George and Yaffa Streets, central Jerusalem.

The Pizza restaurant was full of people when the bomb went off, an eyewitness told Xinhua. Suddenly everything was in the air, lots of dust and the injured, he described.

An official of the Bikur Holim Hospital, which is not far from the scene of blast, said so far 21 victims, including two dead, have been sent to the hospital and among the injured, one in critical condition, five in serious conditions and seven in moderate conditions.

Shortly after the blasts, police cars, rescue teams and fire engines rushed to the site, while a helicopter is flying over the city to look for other possible bombers.

In May, at least three bombs went off in Jerusalem, but caused no major casualties.






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