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The "Matza" restaurant in Haifa - shortly after a suicide bombing attack Sunday afternoon.
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| By Ellis Shuman March 31, 2002 |
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In the fifth suicide bombing since Passover began 5 days ago, a suicide bomber injured four people, one critically and another seriously, in an attack on a medical station of Magen David Adom (Red Shield of David) in the commercial center of the West Bank community of Efrat, located midway between Jerusalem and Hebron.
Two hours earlier in the afternoon, at least 14 people were killed when a suicide bomber, whom Channel One reported was an Arab Israeli citizen, blew himself up at a restaurant in the Neve Shaanan neighborhood in Haifa. Thirty people were reportedly injured in the blast, four of them seriously. The explosion completely destroyed the restaurant, but did not damage a nearby gas station.
The blast occurred at 2:45 p.m. at the Matza restaurant, located near the city's Grand Canyon shopping mall. According to eyewitness reports, the blast occurred inside the restaurant; there was no security guard stationed outside. Media reports suggested that the terrorist planned to enter the shopping mall, but chose the crowded restaurant instead at the last moment.
The Matza restaurant is owned by Israeli Arabs. According to media reports, Knesset members frequently visit the restaurant.
The Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. Hamas official Abdel Aziz Rantissi told Abu Dhabi television that the attacks would continue until Israel ended its operations in Ramallah.
Sunday morning, police set up roadblocks in the Sharon area, south of Haifa, due to intelligence reports of planned terror attacks there. Highway 4 was closed to traffic as security forces went on alert all along the Green Line.
29 injured in Tel Aviv bombing
A suicide bomber detonated himself inside the "My Coffee House" café on Allenby Street in central Tel Aviv Saturday night. Twenty-nine people were injured, six of them seriously, in the blast.
"I saw the terrorist enter the café with a suitcase, and then everything blew up," said Shai Amit, who was sitting inside at the time of attack.
"Injured people were lying on the floor, screaming for help," said Eti Shahar, 17, who works in a nearby coffeehouse.
Media reports indicated that the terrorist wore an explosive belt. Eyewitnesses reported that a few minutes before the explosion, the terrorist got out of a gray car near the café. Police spokesmen would not confirm the reports, and launched a manhunt for accomplices.
"The reason for so few casualties is that large crowds that usually come to this area stayed away," said Tel Aviv Police Commander Yossi Sedbon.
Eli, the owner of "My Coffee House," said that no security guard had been stationed at the café's entrance. He said that he had hired a guard, who was only supposed to start work the following day.
Two killed in blast at Jerusalem supermarket
Two Israelis were killed when an 18-year-old Palestinian girl blew herself up Friday afternoon in the entrance of a supermarket in Jerusalem's Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood. Security guard Haim Smadar, 55, gave his life when he insisted on checking the suspicious-looking girl who tried to enter the store.
The other victim of the blast was identified as Rachel Levy, 17. Twenty-seven people were injured in the blast, one of them seriously. The entrance to the supermarket was completely destroyed, and cans of white paint exploded, splashing passersby with paint, mixed with blood.
"The alert response of the security guard prevented a much greater tragedy," said Jerusalem Police Commander Mickey Levy.
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