Jerusalem suicide bus bomb kills 20

Details emerged today of the Palestinian suicide bomber responsible for the worst attack in almost three years of violence in the Middle East.

Pictured on his Palestinian identity card found amid the wreckage of the Jerusalem bus he destroyed last night, killing 20 and wounding more than 100, is Raed Abdel-Hamid Masq, a devout Muslim from the West Bank town of Hebron.

A Hamas militant, Masq worked as a teacher and also served as an imam at one of the city's mosques.

Israel is preparing to send troops back into the heart of Palestinian cities in response to the bombing.

At least four children were among those who died when the bomb blew up the bus, which was packed with ultra-Orthodox Jews making their way home from daily prayers at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest shrine.

Religious student Zvi Weiss, 18, who was in the bus, said: "The bomb went off at the back of the bus. Everything went black. I climbed out of the broken window and started running. All around me there were people covered in blood, screaming, some with limbs missing..

The bombing, which Israeli authorities described as among the largest suicide attacks during almost three years of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, shattered hopes for the future of a delicate ceasefire agreement among Palestinian militant groups, signed in June.

Within minutes of the blast, which happened shortly after 9pm, Israel severed all contact with the Palestinian Authority, shelving plans to relinquish security control of a series of West Bank cities.

Calling the bombing a "major setback" to the USbacked road map peace plan, the deputy director of Israel's foreign ministry, Gideon
Meir said: "Israel is going to freeze all gestures to the Palestinians.

"The refusal of the Palestinians to dismantle the terror infrastructure is damaging their dream of a two-state solution. "We will do whatever is necessary to protect and defend Israeli people. "We will have to go back to basics. It means more incursions and more closures. This is a major setback to the peace process."

He blamed the Palestinian leadership for the resumption of terror attacks against civilians.

"The Palestinian authority must make up its mind. Do they want peace with Israel or do they want peace with Hamas and Islamic Jihad?

Both do not go hand in hand." In a rare joint operation, Palestinian groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas claimed joint responsibility for the bombing.

Hamas named the bomber and Islamic Jihad said the attack was retaliation for an Israeli operation in Hebron last week which killed Mohammed Sidr, one of its senior officials.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas broke off talks in Gaza with leaders of Islamic Jihad, aimed at extending the deasefire, when
he received news of the attack.

In a statement, he said: "I announce my condemnation of this horrible attack, which does not serve the interests of the Palestinian people."

Mr Abbas faces growing criticism of his decision not to get tough with Palestinian militant organisations, as is required under the terms of the road map.

Fearing that a campaign for tighter security could spark a civil war, Mr Abbas has until now preferred to rein in the militants through negotiations.