Palestinian suicide bomber killed in car bomb

A Palestinian suicide bomber blew up a truck packed with explosives, killing himself near an Israeli outpost in the Gaza Strip on Monday, and Israeli bulldozers razed 10 Palestinian homes under construction in Jerusalem in one of the largest demolition campaigns in years.

Also Monday, an Israeli army officer died of injuries sustained when a roadside bomb exploded near his jeep in the West Bank, the army said.

The Islamic militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for the Gaza blast and sent a video of the attack to news agencies. The explosion went off at about 7 a.m. (0400 gmt) near an intersection patrolled by Israeli soldiers, close to Gush Katif, a cluster of Jewish settlements. The video showed a white pickup truck exploding and black plumes of smoke billowing into the air.

The assailant's body was found in the remains of the truck. No one else was hurt. Israel army radio said the truck carried large amounts of explosives that apparently went off prematurely.

Hamas' military wing, Izzedine al Qassam, identified the suicide bomber as Nafez Saleh al­Nazer and said he was targeting a nearby Israeli military guard tower. The video released to news agencies showed al­Nazer before the attack, chanting from the holy Muslim book, or Quran, an M­16 perched next to him.

Palestinian officials said al­Nazar was a 25­year­old employee of the Islamic University and lived in the town of Jebaliya, north of Gaza City.

In Jerusalem, bulldozers backed by hundreds of Israeli troops, including some on horseback, knocked down 10 Palestinian homes in the Shuafat refugee camp, and 15 more in the area were slated for demolition. City council members said it was the largest demolition campaign in memory.

One Palestinian woman, dressed in black, sat cross­legged on the dusty ground, near her home in a desperate attempt to block the path of a bulldozer. She began shouting and kicking when relatives tried to move her out of harm's way.

The Jerusalem Municipality had no immediate comment. Palestinian homeowners said the homes were torn down because they were built without permits. All the homes were still under construction.

Palestinians have said it is nearly impossible to obtain permits, and that Jerusalem's zoning regulations are aimed at limiting Palestinian population growth in the city.

Shuafat is in the disputed section of Jerusalem which Israel occupied in the 1967 war and later annexed, and where the Palestinians want to establish the capital of their future state.

Israeli opposition leader Yossi Sarid said Monday's demolitions could spark new friction and that they violated a U.S.­brokered truce that took effect June 13, but has been only partly effective.

"This is a cruel act that builds up terror and deprives these residents from the right to defend themselves in court," Sarid said. "The cease­fire between Israel and the PA includes the demolition of houses."

Late Sunday, Capt. Shai Shalom Cohen, 22, from the central Israeli town of Pardes Hanna, was seriously wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near his jeep as he was traveling south of the Palestinian town of Hebron in the West Bank.

Army officials said the bomb was detonated by remote control.

Cohen suffered serious head injuries and died Monday. Another soldier lightly wounded in the incident.

In other violence, an Israeli woman was wounded Sunday night from shots fired toward the bus she was traveling on along a central West Bank road.

Also Sunday, Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen battled in the southern Gaza Strip, while in nearby Rafah, hundreds of Palestinians buried an 11­year­old boy shot and killed in an exchange of fire a day earlier. Palestinian witnesses said the boy was killed by shots fired by Israeli soldiers from a nearby guard tower.

At the cemetery, armed men fired into the air as a masked man told the crowd that Hamas had 10 more suicide bombers waiting to blow themselves up inside Israel. Hamas has claimed responsibility for scores of bombings in Israel.

Speaking Monday, Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin would not comment specifically on the 10 suicide bombers. However, he said Monday's suicide bombing "shows there are many martyrs on call who are waiting to defend themselves and sacrifice themselves for Palestine."

Since Mideast fighting began almost 10 months ago, 511 people have been killed on the Palestinian side and 122 on the Israeli side.