Amid marathon diplomatic talks seeking a possible halt to the gruesome killings in the Gaza Strip, a powerful bomb went off on a bus near Kirya base in heart of Tel Aviv, an action many believe will jeopardize the ceasefire initiatives.
At least 17 people have been injured in the blast with two sustaining moderate to serious injuries, a Y Net News report said. The explosion took place on a bus in Tel Aviv's Shaul Hamelech street near the Kirya base and the wounded were taken to the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.
Police suspect that an explosive was probably planted on the bus, but are also investigating whether a terrorist hurled a grenade at the bus and fled the scene, the report said. Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich and Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino arrived at the scene shortly after the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman Ofir Gendelman confirmed on his Twitter that the explosion was caused by a bomb and announced that it was a terrorist attack. According to a BBC report, Hamas claimed the responsibility through loudspeaker announcements in Gaza City which were greeted with celebratory gunfire. "Hamas blesses the attack in Tel Aviv and sees it as a natural response to the Israeli massacres in Gaza," Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters.
The bomb explosion may escalate the conflict between the two sides amid international call for a truce. The last bomb attack in Tel Aviv was in April 2006 killing 11 in a suicide attack on a restaurant.
