By Nidal al-Mughrabi
Erez Crossing - A Palestinian mother-of-two carried out a suicide bombing at the main border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing four Israelis and wounding seven people.
The militant Islamic group Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed joint responsibility for the bombing, which they said was to avenge Israel's killing of Palestinian militants and civilians, and vowed to escalate attacks.
The woman, identified as Hamas member Reem Al-Reyashi, 22, blew herself up in a terminal where Palestinian labourers from the fenced-in Strip were being put through Israeli security checks before entering a nearby industrial complex. Family members said she had a three-year-old boy and a girl of 18 months.
"Glass and black smoke flew everywhere. Arabs were screaming, Jews were screaming," said a Palestinian witness, her clothes stained with the blood of others.
A senior Israeli army officer said the dead included soldiers and least one Israeli civilian. Security sources said four Palestinians were among the wounded.
It was the first Palestinian suicide attack since a December 25 bombing that killed four Israelis near Tel Aviv, and raised further doubts about the prospects for a US-backed "road map" to peace that has been stalled by persistent violence.
The bombing could also draw a tough response from Israel, which has recently carried out sweeps for West Bank militants.
Hamas, the main group behind a campaign of suicide bombings, said it sent a woman for the first time because of growing Israeli security "obstacles" facing its male bombers.
Smaller militant groups have already deployed female bombers against Israel several times.