Israeli police and security services were placed on a maximum state of alert on Wednesday after two suicide attacks that left 14 people dead as well as the bombers, according to police sources.
The levels of security were reinforced along the border between Israel and the West Bank, in major cities, commercial centres, bus stops and schools and colleges after Tuesday’s blasts in Jerusalem and outside a military base near Tel Aviv.
A clampdown on the Gaza Strip has been in place since the beginning of the week, barring Palestinians from crossing at the Erez border point to work in Israel.
Police have information about dozens of attacks that are being planned, according to the same sources.
After the late-night attack in Jerusalem, which came about five hours after the earlier blast, the armed wing of Hamas hailed both operations. In a statement aired by Al-Jazeera television it said ”the time has come [for Israel] to pay for the crimes against the Palestinian people”.
The attacks come after a failed assassination bid against Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in Gaza City on Saturday.
Yassin vowed after that attack that Israel would be taught an ”unforgettable” lesson. — Sapa-AFP