Israel and Palestinian Bombing - 2003-03-30

A suspected Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up today (Sunday) outside a café in Israel, wounding up to 30 people.

The explosion occurred after security guards prevented the bomber from entering a café in the main square of Netanya, a coastal town north of Tel Aviv.

Police sealed off the area, as ambulance workers rushed to the site, and began evacuating the injured to nearby hospitals.

The Netanya bombing is the first major terror attack in Israel since the U.S.-led forces launched an offensive against Iraq. The last suicide bombing in Israel occurred on a bus in Haifa on March 5th. Sixteen people were killed and about 40 injured in that blast.

Netanya has been a frequent target of terror attacks, in part because of its proximity to the West Bank.