The armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad took responsibility on Monday for a bomb blast near a synagogue in Tel Aviv, which Israeli authorities have labelled a terrorist attack.
According to police reports, the explosion late Sunday resulted in the death of the bomber and injuries to a passerby in Israel’s commercial capital.
David Mencer, an Israeli government spokesperson, stated that the individual had a backpack full of explosives that went off prematurely, preventing a potentially more devastating outcome in a denser area.
In their statement, the two Palestinian groups declared that their attacks within Israel would intensify in response to ongoing Israeli military actions and policies, which they view as provocative. They specifically referenced the recent Israeli operations in Gaza and the July 31 killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, a death for which Israel has not accepted responsibility.
The conflict in Gaza reignited on October 7 of the previous year when Hamas militants crossed into Israeli territory, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and the capture of about 250 hostages, as per Israeli records.
Subsequent Israeli military responses have extensively damaged the Gaza Strip and resulted in the deaths of at least 40,000 individuals, according to reports from local health officials.
The bombing occurred shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv, where he was scheduled to discuss ceasefire possibilities to halt the ongoing conflict that has now spanned over ten months.
The urgency for a ceasefire agreement has grown amidst concerns of broader regional escalation, especially following threats from Iran to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of Haniyeh.
