Israeli security officials investigate the scene of a bus explosion in Jerusalem, Israel, on April 18.
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At least 16 people have been injured after a bomb exploded on a bus in Jerusalem. The bombings killed hundreds of people and deterred many Israelis from riding buses altogether.
In the accident, 21 people were injured and two seriously. Police and personnel of the Israeli national aid organization Magen David Adom treated the injured, all of whom were near the bus, in a private auto or on a nearby, second bus.
“We confirm that a bomb went off. We are still examining all possibilities”, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
At Hadassah Medical Center, Ein Kerem, where seven of the victims were hospitalized, three of the victims were anesthetized and receiving oxygen.
Although the Hamas movement did not claim responsibility, its spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri issued a press release stating that “what happened is a natural outcome of the Zionist crimes, field executions and the ongoing desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Jerusalem”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the suspected attack on a bus in Jerusalem to a stunned crowd during a speech he delivered in Binyamina on Monday evening marking 85 years to the founding of the Irgun. The incident came as Israelis prepared for the Passover holiday, with tensions already high after a wave of violence that began in October which has killed more than 200 Palestinians and 28 Israelis. Or Bondy was aboard the No. 12 bus on Moshe Baram Road near Hebron Road when it blew up. “We will reach the perpetrators and those who support them, and ensure those who stand behind it are held accountable”. However, she later said investigations had revealed the explosion took place on the bus which was holding passengers.
Kerry said the Obama administration has not given up on securing an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
Today’s attack could mark a major escalation in the so-called Palestinian wave of terror, which until how has focused largely on stabbings as well as shootings and rock throwing.
Netanyahu said Israeli forces would locate and punish those responsible.
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The last time when a Israeli bus exploded was in 2012 in Tel Aviv, during Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
