Bomber strikes as Abbas urges end to violence
GAZA CITY (CNN) -- Shortly after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Gaza City on Tuesday to encourage Palestinian militants to cease attacks against Israelis, a Hamas-dispatched suicide bomber set off a blast in the area.
The explosion occurred at the Gush Katif junction in southern Gaza, according to settlers, and ambulance services said the blast wounded five people. Israeli military officials confirmed the incident happened, but did not offer additional details.
Via a phone call, the radical Palestinian group Hamas -- labeled a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States -- claimed responsibility, saying it had sent a suicide bomber to the checkpoint.
The assault comes a day after Abbas ordered Palestinian security forces to stop attacks by Palestinian militants on Israelis.(Full story)
Abbas issued the order in response to an attack last week that killed six Israeli civilians. (Full story)
The newly-elected Palestinian leader ordered an investigation of that attack at the Karni Crossing, which separates Israel and northern Gaza. Three Palestinian militant groups -- Hamas, the Popular Resistance and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades -- claimed responsibility for that assault.
Reuters reported that Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants issued a statement following Abbas' request. It read: "Calls by some to stop resistance operations against the Zionist enemy are not binding on us," the news agency reported.
Tuesday's suicide bombing came after Abbas arrived in Gaza City for talks with Palestinian militants, including representatives of Hamas.
In Jenin, Zakaria Zubeidi, a leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the militant offshoot of the Fatah movement, said in a television interview that his group agreed to heed Abbas' directive.
Also Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited Israel Defense Forces troops in Gaza. But he was in Israel when the suicide bomber struck. He had visited with troops in the Erez area of northern Gaza and did not go to Gush Katif.
During his visit, Sharon said Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, needs to act immediately to stop attacks, such as the firing of Qassam missiles and mortar shells at Israeli towns and Jewish settlements.
"Abu Mazen doesn't need an adjustment period (as the new Palestinian president). It's not that he doesn't know what's happening on the ground. He knows the commanders and all the people," according to a statement from Sharon's office.
After the Karni Crossing attack, Sharon suspended contact with Abbas and the Palestinian Authority. A senior Israeli official said Israel's leader would not interact with either "until real steps are taken against terrorist acts."
Reuters contributed to this report.
