A bomber has blown himself up in a crowded pedestrian mall near Tel Aviv's central bus station, injuring at least 22 people, police say.

Thursday's was the first such attack in Israel since a truce expired at the end of last year. 

The bombing was also the first since Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, was incapacitated by a stroke on 4 January, and could put pressure on interim leader Ehud Olmert to launch strong reprisals as Palestinians prepare for parliamentary elections next week. 

The bomber targeted a small, open-air sandwich stand on a busy pedestrian mall near Tel Aviv's old central bus station.

One witness said the man wore a backpack and pretended to be blind before detonating his explosives. 

The blast tore down the ceiling of the restaurant.

The authorities said the bomber was the only fatality but one
person was seriously injured. The other injuries were mostly light to moderate, medics said. 

Claim

Israeli media said Palestinian resistance group Islamic Jihad claimed the bombing.

But in the Gaza Strip, senior Islamic Jihad leader Khaled al-Batsh said he could neither confirm nor deny responsibility but praised the bombing.

"Regardless of who carried out the attack, it was a natural response against the continued Israeli assassination of fighters and killing of innocents," he said.

Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for other recent bombings in Israel.

It was the sixth human bombing in Israel since a truce took effect last February. On 5 December, a bomber detonated explosives outside a shopping mall in the Israeli coastal town of Netanya, killing five Israelis.

Abbas condemnation

Mahmoud Abbas. the Palestinian president, the bombing was meant to derail next week's Palestinian parliamentary elections.

"This is sabotage and aimed at sabotaging the elections, not only the elections, but also the security of Palestinians," Abbas said at his office in the West Bank city of Ram Allah.

"The culprits must be punished. They aim to sabotage the elections and the efforts of the Palestinian Authority to impose law and order."

PHOTO CAPTION

An Israeli police officer stands guard at the scene in Tel Aviv January 19, 2006. (REUTERS)