Palestinian militant mourned

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Hundreds have mourned the death of a top militant from Palestinian leader Yasser's Arafat's Fatah party.

Raed al-Karmi, 30, who had claimed responsibility for the deaths of two Tel Aviv restaurateurs last year, died in an explosion Monday in the West Bank town of Tulkarem.

Services for al-Karmi were held at a Tulkarem mosque before the crowd of mourners carried his body to his home and then to a cemetery for burial.

Although, Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on the his death, Marwan Barghouti, the head of the Fatah movement on the West Bank, blamed Israel for the killing, saying the Israelis had abandoned an informal cease-fire with the Palestinians.

Karmi had survived an assassination attempt by Israeli forces last September that killed two others in the car. He was also on Jerusalem's most-wanted list.

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While Karmi had claimed responsibility for the restaurateur killings, Israeli authorities have accused him of also being involved in the deaths of eight other Israelis.

Only hours after his death, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade launched an attack near a Jewish settlement, killing one Israeli soldier and wounding another.

No other details on the attack near the Shavei Shomron settlement west of Nablus were immediately available.

The brigade said in a statement that it would "balance the terror" inflicted on Palestinians until Israel withdraws from its occupation of the Palestinian territories.