Bus bomb kills 8 near Haifa

The bus was destroyed in the blast

HAIFA, Israel (CNN) -- At least eight people died and 14 were wounded when a commuter bus was blown apart near Haifa on Wednesday morning, Israeli medical services say.

The militant Islamic group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack -- which police say was carried out by a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt -- in a telephone call to an Arabic-language news network.

It came hours after an ambush in the West Bank town of Jenin killed 13 Israeli soldiers, part of a bloody battle in the town since an Israeli incursion began April 2. Since then an estimated 150 Palestinians and 22 Israeli soldiers have died. (Full story)

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Aryeh Mekel said those who carried out Wednesday's terror attack were trying to disrupt the visit to the region of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. He pointed out that the action took place after Israeli forces withdrew Tuesday from two cities -- Qalqilya and Tulkarem.

"There is no question that Israel has no choice. We cannot allow the Palestinians to continue and disrupt normal life in the state of Israel. Therefore, we have to continue and fight terror, destroy the infrastructure, and continue to protect the citizens."

Powell was meeting U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in Madrid Wednesday, the latest stage in a mission to broker a cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians. He is expected in Israel on Thursday. (Full story)

Wednesday's bus blast, about five miles outside the coastal city of Haifa, left bodies blown over a large area, witnesses said. Passing cars were also hit by debris.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO Terror returns to Israel as a bus is blown apart (April 10) Play video

"The sight is horrible. There are many dead bodies, some outside the bus, some inside ... The bus is shattered, from one end to the other," said witness Yitzhak Rotman, quoted in the newspaper Ha'aretz.

Haifa was the site of a suicide bombing on March 31. In that blast, 14 people died when a suicide bomber detonated himself in a crowded restaurant.

Izzedine al Qassam, the armed wing of Hamas, claimed responsibility for the March 31 attack and identified the bomber as a man from Jenin.

Hamas is a Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist organization that the U.S. State Department has labeled as a terrorist organization. The military wing has admitted responsibility for terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and attacks against the Israeli military.

Jenin violence

Tuesday's ambush on Israeli soldiers in Jenin was described by the Israel Defense Forces as the highest single military death toll since the current wave of Israeli-Palestinian fighting began 18 months ago.

Afterwards, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the campaign in the West Bank would continue until Palestinian militias were defeated.

There is no independent confirmation of the Palestinian death toll in Jenin. The figure of 150 is an estimate based on reports from Palestinian officials, Israeli media and eyewitnesses.

Israeli troops began their offensive in the West Bank on March 29. The operation started during a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings over the Passover holiday.

U.S. and United Nations officials, among others, have implored Israeli and Palestinian leaders to end the bloodshed and return to the negotiating table.

Powell said he spoke to Sharon on Tuesday and the prime minister reaffirmed his "commitment to bring this to an end as quick as he can."

Powell also intends to meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at some point after he arrives in Israel. Arafat has been holed up for more than a week at his compound in Ramallah, in the West Bank.