The death toll rose to three that killed and five moderately injured Monday morning in a attack carried out by a suicide bomber at a commercial center in the southern Israeli city of Dimona, local daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on its website.
The report said that loud explosion rocks the southern Israeli city Monday morning at 10:00 a.m.(0800 GMT) as a suicide bomber detonated explosive belt in a commercial center.
The second suicide bomber was shot dead by police officer before the explosive device on his body exploded. Sappers were dispatched to the scene of the attack to detonate the device in a controlled manner.
Meanwhile, Israeli security establishment is looking into the possibility that the suicide bombers who carried out the attack crossed into Israel through the Gaza-Egypt border.
Dimona is the alleged site of Israel's nuclear reactor. The explosion took place about 10 kilometers from the reactor site, according to the report.
A security source was quoted as saying that "it is still too early in the investigation to determine the terrorists' route, but the breached border between Gaza and Egypt certainly increased the threat."
However, the investigation has yet to rule out the possibility that the bombers came from the West Bank, since there is no separation fence in the area.
The Israeli army and Shin Bet are also trying to locate anyone who might have assisted the terrorists. The defense establishment believes that more terror cells are located in the Sinai Peninsula and may have already crossed over to Israel.
The Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba received 10 injured, five of whom reportedly sustained moderate wounds. About 20 ambulances and large police forces were dispatched to the area.
An eyewitness said that "I see police here, roads have been blocked. People are panicking. The firefighters are here. There are dozens of people around and everyone is ysterical."
Israeli security brass have expressed their fear over the past few days that terrorists would infiltrate southern Israel from the Gaza Strip through the breached Philadelphi route.
On Sunday, Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin stated during a cabinet security briefing that considerable amounts of high quality weaponry have been smuggled into Gaza through the breached border with Egypt.
Source:Xinhua
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