GAZA CITY, Nov 1 (AFP) - A suicide bombing in Tel Aviv which left three civilians dead showed there would be no security for Israelis as long as there was no security for Palestinians, the radical Hamas movement said.
"This operation is a clear message from the Palestinian people to the Israeli enemy saying that there will be no safety and security for the Israeli occupiers if there is no safety and security for Palestinians," spokesman Mushir al-Masri told AFP.
"This operation in the centre of Tel Aviv confirms that the Palestinian resistance is strong and continuing despite Israel's assassination of Palestinian leaders," he said, describing it as the "normal answer" to Israel's ongoing activity in the Palestinian territories.
The bombing, which Israel police said killed three in addition to the bomber and injured over 30, was the first since Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat, frequently accused by Israel of giving the green light to such attacks, was flown out to Paris for urgent treatment of a blood disorder.
It was claimed by the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which identified the bomber as a teenager from a refugee camp in the West Bank.
11/01/2004 14:06 GMT - AFP