BBC

27 March, 2001, 12:51 GMT 13:51 UK

Second bomb hits Jerusalem

The earlier blast injured three people A bomb has exploded near a bus in Jerusalem, the second attack in the city in six hours.

Israeli television is reporting that one person has been killed and about seven have been wounded.

The bombings come at a time when tension has been running high after the killing of a 10-month-old Israeli baby in Hebron in the West Bank.

A police spokesman, Shmuel Ben-Ruby, said the explosion in Jerusalem blew up the public bus in the Jewish area of French Hill.

"From an early check it looks like the bomb was placed outside the bus on the sidewalk and when the bus passed, it blew up," he said.

"It's not clear if it was a suicide bomber. There are dead and wounded. I don't have the numbers right now."

Car bomb

An eyewitness, Danny Sarero, 35, said he was standing a few metres away from the bus when he heard the explosion.

"The next thing I knew I saw a person cut in two," he said. "I've never seen such a thing."

Police have closed the area and moved residents away.

Earlier, a car bomb exploded near a shopping mall in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Talpiot, injuring three people during the morning rush hour.

Islamic militants said they carried out the earlier blast.

A BBC correspondent says Israelis will be concerned that the security crackdown by security forces has failed to stop the attacks happening.

The blasts coincide with an Arab summit in Amman called to show support for a Palestinian uprising that erupted six months ago.

The attacks present a challenge to the new Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who was elected promising Israelis peace with security.

More than 400 people have been killed since the uprising began, nearly 350 of them Palestinian, including dozens of children. More than 60 Israelis and 13 Israeli Arabs have died.

Hebron

The Israeli army on Tuesday imposed a complete blockade around Hebron in the West Bank following the killing of 10-month-old Shalhevet Hass in a Jewish settlement in the city on Monday.

Israeli officials have said the baby killed by Palestinian gunfire, and the Israeli army shelled the Abu Sneinah district of the Hebron, believed to be the source of the gunfire, on Monday night.

The baby died after being hit by two bullets. Her father, who was holding her at the time, was seriously injured.

Palestinian cabinet minister Yasser Abed Rabbo told the Reuters news agency there was no evidence the baby was killed by Palestinian fire.

Angry Jewish settlers in the city went on the rampage early on Tuesday, torching Palestinian buildings and vandalising cars and homes in Abu Sneinah district.

Hebron is frequently a flashpoint for violence between the 400 militant Jewish settlers who live in heavily guarded enclaves in the city centre, surrounded by 100,000 Palestinians.

-- Anonymous, March 27, 2001