US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined world leaders in harshly condemning bombing of a Tel Aviv bus Wednesday, Nov. 21, as a “terrorist attack” when she arrived in Cairo from Jerusalem and Ramallah. She found Egyptian-brokered ceasefire for the Gaza Strip near vanishing point. Police are hunting for the bomber who placed his explosive device under a bus seat and fled before it blew up on Shaul Hamelekh Blvd. opposite the defense ministry and IDF GHQ and injured 27 people. Three are still in serious condition. A witness of the bus bombing reported a man placing a package on one of the seats and exiting the bus. Another claimed the package was thrown in to the bus through a window. A large dragnet has been thrown in the area for suspects and abettors. The attack took place as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was closeted in Jerusalem for her second meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders to discuss the stalled Gaza ceasefire. debkafile: The Tel Aviv bus attack, recalling the 2000 Palestinian suicide bombing offensive plaguing Israel streets, could prompt an early Israeli decision to go forward with the IDF ground operation against Gaza terrorists.
More than 75 Palestinian missiles were fired against Israel from Gaza up until 1500 hours, a good proportion intercepted by Iron Dome. The IAF struck a wide range of Hamas government offices, banks, safe house and rocket positions in the Gaza Strip.
Police have been on alert for terrorist attacks since last week when Hamas and Jihad Islami threatened to revert to their suicide bombing campaign inside Israeli towns.