Mideast bomber kills three

NETANYA, Israel – A teenage Palestinian suicide bomber killed three Israelis and wounded at least 30 others in front of a crowded shopping mall in this seaside city, the first such attack in nearly five months and a blow to a truce that has revived peace hopes.

The mangled body of the young bomber lay in the street two hours after the blast, covered with a white plastic sheet. Bloodied clothes were strewn on the asphalt, and the body of a woman was sprawled nearby.

In response, Israeli forces raided the Palestinian town of Tulkarem early today, killing one police officer who fired on troops hunting down Islamic Jihad militants believed responsible for the bombing, army and Palestinian security officials said.

Troops declared a curfew on Tulkarem, effectively taking back control of the area that Israel handed over the Palestinians in March under the terms of a cease-fire declared a month earlier. Brig. Gen. Yair Golan, commander of the West Bank division, said the operation is open-ended.

Among the wounded from the bombing was a 6-year-old girl who was badly burned, Israel TV reported. Two women were killed instantly, and a third died several hours later of her wounds, according to Israel Radio.

Police linked the explosion to a failed car bomb attack a few minutes earlier in the West Bank.

The Israeli military also closed off the West Bank and Gaza Strip, banning Palestinians from entering the country in response to the bombing.

The closure means that thousands of Palestinians who have work permits will not be allowed to enter Israel. The military said the ban, a routine security measure after such an attack, would be in effect “until further notice.”

Israeli police and Palestinian security identified the bomber as Ahmed Abu Khalil, an 18-year-old member of Islamic Jihad from the West Bank village of Atil, about eight miles east of Netanya.