Suicide Attack in Israel Injures Dozens

It was the first such attack since Israel last week completed the evacuation of 25 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, but it came three days after five Palestinians were killed in an Israeli raid targeting militants in the West Bank town of Tulkarm.

The explosion came during morning rush hour at the start of the Israeli workweek, when the bus station was packed with commuters and Israeli soldiers returning to base. Initial reports said two security guards apparently prevented the bomber from boarding a bus after being alerted by the driver.

Television images showed the bomber's mangled body lying at the entrance to the station.

Beersheba, a largely working-class town, was the scene of a double bus bombing last August that killed 16 people.

Suicide attacks have decreased since Israel began building a barrier in and around the West Bank, and after Palestinian militant groups agreed to an informal cease-fire in February.

But a July 12 suicide bombing killed five people outside a shopping mall in the coastal city of Netanya. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.