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At Least 10 Dead After Suicide Bomb in Netanya

Aired March 27, 2002 - 13:53   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back to the Middle East. At least 15 dead as a result of a suicide bomber walking into a hotel in Netanya; a hotel that was quite crowded at the time. Back to Mike Hanna in Jerusalem.

Mike, we have seen a number of reports come out of Israel in the past several weeks where hotels and restaurants were literally frisking people before they allowed them entrance into their business or their establishment. One has to wonder how this one got by, if indeed that has was the standard, across the country of Israel.

MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Bill, there has been intense security in place in recent weeks and indeed in recent months in many Israeli areas following a wake of terror attacks against Israeli civilians.

But Israeli police and security officials were consistently warning that they could not stop all attacks. Now, in addition to attacks that have taken place, Israeli security officials were saying they had received a large number of warnings of attacks, there were a large number of attacks that never took place because those attempting to carry them out were intercepted by Israeli police.

So the actual number of attacks that took place is not necessarily a reflection of how many were attempting to carry out those attacks. Netanya in particular is a very difficult area for effective policing because of its proximity to the West Bank, because of the fact that there is no defined border as such there. It is, and Israeli intelligence has been warning about this for weeks, a very easy area for people, Palestinians coming across from West Bank towns and villages, intent on carrying out terror attacks to infiltrate into Israel proper.

So, despite this intense security, despite the fact that virtually every hotel, every restaurant, every cinema, every mall has security guards outside, police have been warning that they will not be able to stop every attack on every time. In this occasion, clearly this did not happen. A crowded banquet hall. You mentioned the figure of dead well over 10 at this stage. Police confirming 13. Other sources saying as many as 15 are dead.

But another figure here, Bill, that is very important is that well over 70 people are receiving treatment at hospitals and hospital authorities are telling us that at least 15 of these are in a deeply critical condition. So it does appear as though this death toll could rise further in the hours ahead.

HEMMER: Thank you, Mike Hanna there reporting again from Jerusalem.

Mike, we will let you go. Get more information. We will be back in touch certainly from the Middle East there. If indeed these numbers continue to go higher, it may rank as the most deadly suicide bombing we have seen in the past 18 months. One has to go back several months, you might remember, to that group of youngsters, young Israelis gathered outside of a disco tech in Tel Aviv when a suicide bomber walked up in line and detonated himself at that point. A number of young Israelis killed. But this one clearly rivaling that in early stages.

As we mention, at least 15 dead. More than a hundred wounded. Those numbers may go even higher. We will watch it.

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