Violence intensifies in Mideast

Three bomb blasts, boy killed

TEL AVIV, Israel (CNN) -- Explosions and gunfire were the order of the day in the Mideast, a region steadily descending into a morass of ever-increasing violence.

Five Israelis were injured in three bomb incidents that occurred Sunday and Monday, according to Israeli officials, and a 12-year-old Palestinian boy was killed in a shooting on Monday.

On Sunday, a suicide bomber in Kfar Saba, near Tel Aviv, killed himself and an Israeli doctor and wounded at least 30 people.

Two people were injured on Monday when a pipe bomb was thrown into the back of a car parked near the marketplace of Or Yehuda on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

VIDEO CNN's Mike Hanna has more on the increasing violence in the Mideast Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) This is yet another in a series of bombings. CNN's Jerrold Kessel reports (April 22) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     AUDIO CNN's Jerrold Kessel: Bomb explosion, no casualties 820K/72 sec. AIFF or WAV sound CNN's Mike Hanna: Ongoing security contacts 490K/45 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     MESSAGE BOARD Share your thoughts on the struggle for Mideast peace

Late Sunday, three Israeli soldiers were slightly hurt while carrying out the controlled detonation of a bomb found in the Israeli northern coastal city of Haifa after a suspicious bag was found.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for the Kfar Saba blast, but there were no immediate claims of responsibility for the other incidents. Israeli officials, however, believe Palestinian militants were responsible for the explosions.

The Palestinian boy died in the Gaza town of Khan Younis during a funeral for a Palestinian police officer who died of injuries he received during a gun battle with Israelis last week.

Palestinian gunmen fired into the air during the funeral procession, which traveled the streets of Khan Younis to the cemetery, near the neighboring Jewish settlement of Nev Derilim.

Witnesses told the news agency that the gunfire that killed the boy came from the direction of the settlement. Eleven people were wounded.

Decades-old enmity

While the Israelis and the Palestinians have been at odds since Israel's independence in 1948, the last seven months have seen a sharp increase in incidents.

After peace talks broke off in July, Palestinian anger burst out at the end of September with demands for an end to what the Palestinians see as Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory in the West Bank and Gaza.

What began as stone-throwing demonstrations at checkpoints and border crossings has evolved into mortar attacks and bombings. Israel has responded to the incidents with air raids and staunch resistance on the ground.

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U.S. State Dept: Near eastern affairs
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