Three people killed in suicide bombing at Eilat bakery

      Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, the radical Islamic group that controls the Palestinian parliament and Cabinet, praised the bombing as a "natural response" to Israeli policies and to boycott imposed by the international community, but Fatah spokesman Ahmad Abdul Rahman condemned the bombing, saying, "We are against any operation that targets civilians, Israelis or Palestinians." Defense Minister Amir Peretz ordered the IDF to prepare to launch operations inside the Gaza Strip. In recent weeks we thwarted many attacks, and this has not been always reported," said the prime minister Ehoud Olmert,who recently ordered the transfer of USD 100 million in frozen tax funds to the Palestinian Authority.(18,27)