Seven killed, dozens injured in series of attacks in Israel

At least seven Israelis were killed, and dozens of soldiers and civilians injured Thursday afternoon, in a series of assaults by unknown attackers in southern Israel, along the border with Egypt near the Red Sea port city of Eilat, dpa reported.

Four of the Israeli causalities had been traveling in a private vehicle, initial reports said.

The perpetrators of at least two of the attacks were also killed after a prolonged shootout with Israeli forces who were rushed to the scene. There were however conflicting reports as to their number, with some accounts saying three had been killed, other accounts saying seven.

Some 30 people were injured in the attacks. By late afternoon, 21 had been sent home from the hospital in Eilat, where they had been taken, but seven others had been airlifted to a hospital in Beersheba, further north. One of those airlifted was reported in serious to moderate condition.

Despite witness claims, Israeli military officials said there was no information that Egyptian forces stationed across the nearby border had been involved in any of the attacks.

The Egyptian governor of south Sinai, Chalid Foea, said "no extremists" had crossed from Sinai into Israel, and no one had fired over the border toward the Jewish state.

However, some assessments said the attackers had infiltrated into Israel through the porous Israel-Sinai border, highlighting Israeli fears that in wake of the Egyptian revolution and the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, security along the border would be weakened.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak gave expression to these assessments, saying in a statement that the assaults "demonstrate the weakening of Egypt's control over the Sinai peninsula and the expansion of terrorist activity there."

Hinting at a fierce Israeli retaliation, Barak said the attacks originated in the Gaza Strip, and "we will act with full force and determination."

No group claimed responsibility for the attacks. Ahmed Yousef, a senior Hamas official in the Gaza Strip, said he "did not" think the Islamist group was behind the attacks, which he praised.

The attacks began around noon (0900 GMT) when gunmen in a private car opened fire on a bus carrying civilians and soldiers toward Eilat. The car sped off after the shooting, leaving the green bus with shattered windows and a shattered door.

One person was reported killed on the bus, and at least seven injured.

The second incident occurred shortly afterward, when an explosive device went off as an Israeli army patrol was driving along the border.

In the third attack, gunmen apparently from the first incident attacked a bus and a private car, possibly with an anti-tank missile. Some reports said mortars had also been used. The car overturned, and four of its occupants killed.

Police and soldiers were rushed to the scene, and police special forces intercepted the gunmen, sparking a fierce shoot-out which lasted for several minutes. The gunmen were all killed, although there was some confusion as to their exact number.