Israel: woman killed in Jerusalem blast was British

The woman, thought to be in her 60s, died when the blast ripped through at a crowded bus stop and injured 30 others – three seriously – on Wednesday, the Foreign Office has said.

It was the first time Jerusalem had been hit by such a bomb since 2004 and comes amid growing cross-border tensions between Israel and the Gaza strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would take action against those groups who he said are testing the Jewish state’s will to defend itself.

“Israel will act aggressively, responsibly and wisely to preserve the quiet and security that prevailed here over the past two years,” Netanyahu said.

President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack.

Hamas in the Gaza strip said it was seeking to reverse the recent spike in violence with Israel, spokesman Taher Al-Nono said: ‘We stress that our constant position in the government is to protect stability and to work in order to restore the conditions on ground that used to be dominant in previous weeks.

The group which control Gaza has declared a state of emergency in preparation for a possible massive assault on the territory in retaliation for rocket attacks into Israel. It has evacuated its police stations, offices, and compounds fearing they could become targets if Israel invades.

Increased rocket and mortar fire into southern Israel by militant groups has intensified on Thursday and Israel has continued to bomb several targets in Gaza including smuggling tunnels.

A similar level of violence came before Israel invaded Gaza at the end of 2009 killing 1400 Palestinians.

World leaders have condemned the bombings and have called for peaceful dialogue.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: “I was shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the bombing in Jerusalem that took at least one life and injured innocent civilians. Terrorism and the targeting of civilians are never justified, and Israel like all nations, of course, has to respond when this occurs. The United States is committed to Israel’s security and we strongly condemn this violence, and we extend our deepest sympathies to all those affected.

“We also strongly condemn recent rocket attacks from Gaza against innocent Israeli civilians, and hold fully responsible the militants perpetrating these attacks. And I join President Obama in extending our sincere condolences to the friends and families of the Palestinians killed in Gaza, and appreciate that Israel has expressed regret. We stress the importance of calm, and we urge all concerned to do everything in their power to prevent further violence and civilian casualties among both Israelis. Violence only erodes hope for a lasting and meaningful peace, and the final realization of two states for two peoples.”

Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said the bomb weighed about one or two kilos (2 or 4 pounds). “It exploded in a small suitcase on the sidewalk next to the bus stop,” he said.

Peace talks aimed at ending the decades-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians broke down last year after Mr Netanyahu refused to extend a partial freeze on Jewish settlement building in the occupied West Bank.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Jerusalem blast, but police blamed the attack on Palestinian militants, and fears are growing about a major escalation in hostilities between the neighbouring peoples after Israeli aircraft hit targets in the Gaza Strip on Thursday.

The armed group Islamic Jihad, which have carried out attacks in the past, said it was not responsible for the Jerusalem blast. But spokesman Khader Habib said the group ‘applauds all efforts to respond to the crimes committed daily against our people’

Israel said it was retaliating to Palestinian rocket attacks against Beersheba and Ashkelon and Hamas evacuated most of its manned positions throughout the Gaza Strip in anticipation of the airstrikes.

The hits on Ashkelon and Hamas were retaliations Tuesday’s Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, which killed four Palestinian civilians, including three children playing football, and five militants.

Regarding the latest strikes on Gaza, Hamas said Israel targeted smuggling tunnels along the Gaza-Egypt border, as well as one of its training camps in central Gaza.

A third strike hit a power transformer, causing blackouts in the area, according to reports. Medical workers said no one was injured in the strikes.

An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed that several strikes have been carried out, adding that they were carrries out in response to about a dozen rockets and mortars being fired from Gaza into southern Israel on Wednesday, some reaching as far as the city of Beersheva, 35km (20 miles) away.