Hamas claims responsibility for bomb blast in Tel Aviv

20 August 2024, 00:19

Hamas has claimed responsibility for a bombing attack in Tel Aviv which killed the man carrying the bomb and wounded a bystander.

The blast came as world leaders were locked in ceasefire talks in a bid to prevent a regional conflict in the Middle East.

The attack, which occurred on Sunday night, was seemingly botched, with the bomb detonating before intended.

The presumed attacker was shown in security footage walking down the street wearing a large backpack just before the explosion.

In a statement on Monday, Hamas' militant wing said it and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's militant wing were responsible for the blast.

The two groups threatened to continue attacking "as long as the occupation's massacres, displacement of civilians, and the continuation of the assassination policy continues".

"We know that the mutilated body is not that of an innocent bystander but the one who carried the bomb," Tel Aviv's district police commander, deputy commissioner Peretz Amar, said.

This came amid talks to end Israel’s assault on Gaza, which has killed 40,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

On Monday, US secretary of state Anthony Blinken called on Hamas to accept a proposed ceasefire compromise and confirmed the deal had Benjamin Netanyahu’s support.

"In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel supports the bridging proposal," Mr Blinken told reporters.

"The next important step is for Hamas to say 'yes'."

"There is a real sense of urgency here, across the region, on the need to get this over the finish line and to do it as soon as possible. The United States is deeply committed to getting this job done," Mr Blinken said.

"[The proposal] is the single best way not only to get the hostages home [and] to ease the suffering of people in Gaza, it is also the best way to make sure that conflict doesn't spread, that we don't see escalation, that we can actually defuse some of the pressure points that we see throughout the region, and then open prospects for trying to build a more enduring peace and security for everyone throughout the Middle East."