Azor aftermath. (IDF Spokesman)

	Israeli Reactions: Ehud Barak says IDF will strike attackers.
	Palestinian Responses: Yasser Arafat calls it a car accident.
	The Story behind a bus stop Arjan El Fassed, Media Monitors Network
	A contrast in terror Derek Brown, Guardian Unlimited
	The Victims: Soldiers on their way to base.

A Palestinian bus driver deliberately plowed into a crowd of Israeli soldiers and civilians Wednesday morning, killing eight and injuring 23 others, several of them seriously.

The attack occurred at the Azor junction near Holon, a bus stop frequented by Israeli soldiers on their way to their bases. The 35-year-old Palestinian driver, Khalil Mohammed Abu Alba from Gaza, had just dropped off a busload of workers on their way to their jobs in Israel.

After leaving the disaster scene, Abu Alba continued south, attempting to flee to the Gaza Strip. Israeli polices forces finally stopped the runaway bus after a 30-kilometer high-speed chase at the Gan Yavne intersection, where the driver crashed into a truck stopped at a traffic light.

The victims of the attack, seven Israeli soldiers and one civilian, were Staff Sergeant Ofir Megidish, 20, of Kiryat Malachi; Sergeant David Iluz, 21, of Kiryat Malachi; Sergeant Julie Weiner, 21, of Jerusalem; Sergeant Rachel Levy, 19, of Ashkelon; Sergeant Kochava Polanski, 19, of Ashkelon; Corporal Alexander Minevich, 18, of Ashkelon; and Corporal Yasmin Karisi, 18, of Ashkelon. The civilian was Simcha Sheetrit, 30, of Rishon Lezion. The first funerals were held late Wednesday afternoon; the other funerals took place on Thursday.

Three women soldiers were seriously injured in the attack. Other victims, who had been rushed to nearby Wolfson, Asaf Harofe and Tel Hashomer hospitals, were lightly injured and most were released from hospital before the end of the day.

Israeli Defense Forces tighten closure
In the wake of the attack, Israeli forces enforced a tightened closure on the Palestinian territories. The driver was not a member of any Palestinian terrorist or political organization. Family members believe that Abu Alba's actions came in a reaction to the continued killing of Palestinian children by Israeli soldiers.

Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz blamed the bus driver's attack on the Palestinian Authority, which, he claimed, was not taking the necessary steps to restrain the escalation of violence. "There are warnings of additional attacks," Mofaz told a press conference.

Mofaz refused to give information on possible IDF plans to retaliate in response to Wednesday's bus attack. Check points leading from the Palestinian territories into Israel were sealed immediately and the Gaza airport was shut down.

Downward spiral of violence
The threats of Israeli retaliation to the attack also increase the possibilities of additional terrorist incidents from the Palestinians.

Most sources believe that Abu Alba acted alone in the bus attack. A quiet, reserved man with five children, Abu Alba did not match the typical profile of a Palestinian terrorist. He had security clearance to enter Israel, and had transported workers into Israel as a part-time driver for the Egged bus cooperative for five years prior to the attack. Abu Alba had recently received renewed security permits to enter Israel.

Citizens of Gaza interviewed on Israeli television expressed joy at Abu Alba's actions. However the effects of the tightened closure are expected to increase their frustrations and could lead to additional terrorist activities.

Israeli security forces interrogated Khalil Mohammed Abu Alba, hospitalized after being injured in the collision that concluded the high-speed chase. Israeli press sources reported that Abu Alba announced that the bus attack was a pre-meditated action.

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