Seven passengers, including four soldiers, and the bomber were killed and 27 people wounded when the blast tore through the vehicle, Israel Defense Forces said today. The four soldiers have been identified as Non-Commissioned Officer. A number of Israeli Arabs were among the dead.

Hospitals admitted 28 wounded, of whom two were in critical condition and at least seven more in moderate to serious condition, hospital officials said.

But despite the bombing, a joint security meeting between Israeli and Palestinian officials was still on for Wednesday.

The bombing took place a day after Vice President Dick Cheney visited Israel and held out the prospect of an early meeting with Arafat if he enforces a cease-fire blueprint drawn up by CIA director George Tenet.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for today's attack saying the bomber was Raf'at Abu Diak a 24-year-old Islamic activist from a village near the West Bank city of Jenin.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the attack, and in a dispatch carried by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, Palestinian leaders appealed to their people not to carry out attacks inside Israel.

Yasser Arafat promised to quickly implement the Tenet plan, increasing security cooperation with Israel, and eventually bringing about a truce between the Israelis and Palestinians.


Seconds Before Explosion

Witnesses said the bomber had blown himself up in the middle of the bus.

"He argued a bit with the driver...and then walked to the center of the bus, and then I noticed he was wearing a coat and when he sat down I saw something inside," Vadim Weinfus, a soldier on the bus, told Israel Radio.

"Just as I was going to insert the ammunition clip (into my rifle) to stop this guy somehow -- because I was sure this was it -- he exploded," Weinfus said.


Hamas, " No way to say ceasefire'

Abdel Aziz Rantisi from Hamas group said: "We are struggling against occupation. So there is no way to say 'ceasefire'. We are a resistance movement in Palestine." As the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital the Israeli security cabinet gathered for a morning meeting. It is not yet clear how the bombing will affect American attempts to edge the two sides closer together. But it is likely to leave questions over Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's ability to impose a ceasefire, and prompt calls for retaliation from some Israelis.