Islamic Jihad admits to Tel Aviv stabbings

DAMASCUS (Reuter) - The fundamentalist group Islamic Jihad, stepping up its war against Israel, said it was responsible for the stabbing of 10 people in a busy Tel Aviv street yesterday.

Fathi al-Shukaki, the secretary-general of the movement, said the attack was in response to Israel's deportation of more than 400 Palestinians who belonged to his group and to Hamas, another militant fundamentalist organisation. Mr Shukaki said the man who knifed to death two people and wounded eight was 'Ziyad Salim Silmi, who is an active member of the Islamic Jihad'. He added that Silmi, who was caught and beaten by bystanders, was 20 years old and came from Gaza City. Mr Shukaki said the attack was part of the 'resistance against the Zionist occupation'.

The Israeli army announced that, because of the stabbings, it would seal off the Gaza Strip today until further notice.