By Stan Goodenough
Dec 29, 2005
An IDF officer and three ?Palestinians? were killed Thursday morning when an Arab packing a large bomb was stopped at a spot IDF checkpoint in Samaria and blew himself up.
About 10 people were reportedly also injured in the attack, among them seven Arabs including a child. A seriously wounded Israeli was flown by helicopter to hospital.
The killer, whose bomb belt IDF officials said contained a greater-than-usual amount of explosive, was reportedly on his way to try and mass-murder Israeli civilians in the Tel Aviv area in an attack intended to ?mark? the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
Tens of thousands of Israelis, including school children, are visiting shopping malls and other public places in Israel during the week-long holiday.
Israeli security forces, acting on intelligence that a ticking-bomb terrorist was out looking for a target, set up a number of surprise checkpoints in the area of Tulkarm, northern Samaria.
According to eye witnesses ? including one who said he had been traveling unawares in the same taxi as the killer ? recounted how, when ordered to step out of the vehicle, the bomber had done so, spoken briefly with a soldier, closed his coat around himself, and then detonated his charge, murdering those closest to him, including the soldier, the taxi driver and two fellow passangers.
He also killed himself.
In the initial confusion immediately after the attack there were reports that two suicide bombers had been involved, and that only one victim had been killed.
Palestine Islamic Jihad said it was responsible for the bombing, which took place amid 10 specific warnings of attacks and 40 general warnings.
Deputy Defense Minister Ze'ev Boim said the local operatives of the PIJ were acting under orders from their leadership in Syria.
Following the attack, the IDF imposed curfews on a number of Arab towns and villages in the area.
Thursday?s attack was the first successful ?suicide? bombing in Israel since the December 6 bombing of a Netanya shopping mall. It comes as Israeli security forces continue to carry out sweeping anti-terror operations in Judea and Samaria.