16 KILLED, 100 WOUNDED IN TWIN BUS BOMBINGS IN BE'ER SHEVA

16 KILLED, 100 WOUNDED IN TWIN BUS BOMBINGS IN BE'ER SHEVA
Two suicide bombers exploded almost simultaneously on two buses in central Be'er Sheva on Tuesday, killing 16 people and wounding dozens. The explosions took place on buses numbers 12 and 7, traveling opposite the municipality building at 2:55 p.m.

Police Southern District head Cmdr. David Cohen said both buses exited the Be'er Sheva Central Bus Station at the same time and arrived together at the Yitzhak Riger Boulevard, a central road in the city. The two explosions occurred at the same moment, as the buses were some 100 meters apart.

Twelve people died at the scene and four others died later while being treated, including a three-year-old. About 100 people were wounded in the attack, including 16 children. The wounded were taken to Soroka Medical Center, not far from the site of the attack. Seven people are listed in serious condition, 23 in moderate condition and the rest were lightly wounded.

Zaka (disaster victims association) reported all the fatalities were of people riding on the buses. Moshe Dichstein, head of Zaka Be'er Sheva, said his people arrived at the scene several minutes after the explosion. "First thing we did was take those who looked like there was still a chance to save their lives off the bus. Once we were done, we ran to the second bus and worked there, until there was no one else to rescue." Dichstein said forensic workers would have a hard time identifying the bodies.

Hamas infrastructure in Hebron distributed a leaflet in the city saying the attacks were "a natural response to Israeli crimes" and revenge for Israel's assassinations last spring of its spiritual leader, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, and his successor Abdel Aziz Rantisi.

The head of the Hamas in Hebron, the closest West Bank city to Be'er Sheva, is Imad Kawasmeh, whose family is well known for being involved in various terror activities. Last month, a Hamas terrorist from Hebron entered Jerusalem with the intention of carrying out a suicide bombing attack at Caffit cafe, in the German Colony. The terrorist had a change of heart at the last minute and the attack was aborted.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will hold an emergency meeting with top Defense Ministry officials in Tel Aviv at 7:30 p.m. to formulate Israel's response. Sharon said in response to the attack that "the war against terror will continue without letup. This is both the government's and my personal policy. Our fight against Palestinian terrorism is not related to the progress in the disengagement plan."