Red Sea Monday, January 29, the first such attack since April. Two different Palestinian militant groups, the Islamic Jihad and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, have claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Israeli police officers could be seen operating at the scene of the bakery, located in a residential neighborhood of Eilat. The government declared a nationwide state of alert, fearing more violence.
Monday’s blast came nine months after a suicide bomber in April killed ten people in Tel Aviv.
Eilat Police Commander Bruno Stein told reporters it was unclear at first, whether the explosion was an accident or not. However Stein said an initial investigation has concluded the explosion was "a terrorist attack."
EVANGELICAL GROUP
The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), an evangelical group supporting Israel, said Israel Channel 2 network reported that Eilat authorities had recently received warnings of possible terror attacks.
Police and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) are reportedly investigating the likelihood that the bomber infiltrated Israel from the Sinai Peninsula, described by the ICEJ as "a well-known training ground for terrorists and a hotbed for Global Jihad operatives." (With reports from Israel).
