Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist groups have taken responsibility for Sunday night’s suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. In a joint statement, the terrorist groups described the attack as a ‘martyrdom operation’ carried out in a busy neighborhood of south Tel Aviv, media outlets report Monday morning.
The bombing failed to cause the intended devastation as the suicide bomber appeared to have exploded before he could reach the targeted area — injuring a passerby. “A man who was carrying the bomb was killed and a passerby was injured in the incident late on Sunday, according to police at the scene in Israel’s commercial capital,” Reuters reported.
The Times of Israel reported:
The Hamas terror group on Monday claimed responsibility for an explosion in Tel Aviv the day before, saying it was a suicide bombing conducted as a joint operation with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and vowing further such attacks.The claim of responsibility came hours after the police and the Shin Bet security agency confirmed that the blast was an intended terror attack.The man behind the planned attack was walking down Lehi Road in south Tel Aviv on Sunday evening when the bomb he was carrying in his backpack detonated, killing him instantly and moderately wounding a passerby.
The terror attack appears to be Hamas’s response to President Joe Biden’s generous ceasefire deal announced on Friday. The explosion took place shortly ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s arrival in Israel. He is expected to press Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the terms jointly set by the Biden administration, Qatar and Egypt.
“The blast happened on Lehi Street in southern Tel Aviv, about an hour after the US secretary of state landed in the city to push for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal,” the BBC reported.
Rejecting the diplomatic efforts to reach a truce in Gaza, the terrorist groups vowed to carry out more such attacks against Israeli civilians, the Associated Press reported Monday:
The blast, which came as mediators were working on a cease-fire agreement in the devastating Israel-Hamas war, was a stark reminder of the rash of Palestinian suicide bombings that killed hundreds of Israelis during the second intifada two decades ago. The militant groups claiming the blast said they intended to launch more.https://twitter.com/JoeTruzman/status/1825482419732103401?t=P3x6AJ13bu-lrnVMBu63vw&s=19
Both Palestinian jihadist groups are armed, trained and funded by Iran.
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