Photos, Video: Palestinian suicide bomb kills at least three in Israeli resort

An Israeli man comforts a shocked woman near the scene of an explosion in Eilat. Photo / Reuters

EILAT, Israel - Palestinian militant groups carried out their first suicide bombing in Israel in nine months, killing 3 people in the resort of Eilat today.

The Eilat blast came four days before the 'Quartet' of Middle East peacemakers was to meet in Washington as part of a bid to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks. Efforts have only been complicated by fierce Palestinian factional infighting.

Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for what was the first suicide attack in the Red Sea tourist town, and named a 21-year-old from Gaza as the bomber. Israeli police said he infiltrated from Egypt.

In Gaza, rival Palestinian factions battled in the streets for a fifth straight day, killing at least two fighters on Monday. Saudi Arabia has offered to host talks between the feuding Hamas movement and Fatah in the holy city Mecca.

The fighting has been the fiercest since Hamas, an Islamist group, won elections a year ago. Gun battles have spread across the densely populated Gaza Strip where 1.5 million Palestinians live and prompted some families to flee their homes.

The latest deaths raised to 29 the number of people killed in clashes since Thursday. The fighting, which has erupted periodically over the past year, has derailed unity talks between Hamas and Fatah.

"What else can we call this but a civil war?" asked Abu Omar, a shop owner in Gaza City, where most businesses closed down.

Bakery blast

Eilat residents were jolted by what witnesses described as a powerful explosion in the "Lechamim" bakery in a residential neighbourhood of the city, far from its beach hotels.

"I saw a man with a black coat and a bag. For Eilat, where it is hot, it is strange to see someone walking with a coat. I said to myself, 'Why is this idiot dressed that way?' Seconds later, I heard a huge blast. The building shook," Benny Mazgini, a local resident, told Israel Radio.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in broadcast remarks all three of those killed by the bomber were Israelis. He said Israel was weighing its response.

Islamic Jihad and the Aqsa brigades said the bombing was a response to Israeli "attempts to defile al-Aqsa mosque" in Jerusalem, a reference to recent archaeological excavations. Israeli officials said the work had not damaged the shrine.