Terror attack at Tel Aviv cafe, 29 wounded

An emergency crew rushes a woman to an ambulance after Tel Aviv explosion.

TEL AVIV, Israel (CNN) -- A suicide bombing rocked a Tel Aviv cafe Saturday as Israeli forces continued to occupy the Ramallah, West Bank, headquarters of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.

An Israeli spokesman said the siege -- denounced by the Arab world (Full story) -- would last as "long as it is necessary" to root out terrorism, blaming Arafat for ordering attacks against Israeli civilians.

Saturday's terror attack in a crowded shopping area in Tel Aviv injured 29 people -- one critically and six seriously -- Israeli police reported.

Witnesses described the blast in My Coffee Shop, about three blocks from the Mediterranean coast, as "huge." Shards of glass littered the street and bloody bystanders were led away as ambulances raced to the scene.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades -- the military wing of Arafat's Fatah movement -- claimed responsibility for the attack, as it has for a recent series of such bombings. The dead bomber was identified by Israeli television as a 23-year-old man from Nablus in the West Bank.

The bombing was the fourth Palestinian terror attack since the beginning of the Passover holiday Wednesday night. The attacks have killed 28 Israelis and wounded more than 100. In the most deadly attack, a suicide bombing in the Israeli coastal town of Netanya claimed 22 lives.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO An Israeli TV correspondent gives an eyewitness account of the suicide bombing Saturday in Tel Aviv (March 30) Play video CNN's Michael Holmes has an update of the battle that happened in and around Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah, West Bank (March 30) Play video    IN-DEPTH  CNN NewsPass Video    •  Palestinian politics  MORE STORIES   •  IDF: Arms workshops destroyed in Rafah  EXTRA INFORMATION   •  Gallery: Palestinian fatalities  RESOURCES   •  Victims of terror   •  TIME.com: Orchestrating a common ground  QUICKVOTE Who is most likely to find the route to a Mideast cease-fire deal? The Palestinians and Israelis The U.S. The Arab League The EU View Results

In response to that attack, Israeli forces entered Arafat's headquarters Friday, punching holes in the walls, bringing in tanks and armored vehicles, fighting room-to-room and arresting dozens of Palestinians inside. At least five Palestinians and one Israeli officer were killed in Friday's fighting.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat said Saturday he feared for Arafat's life "and the lives around him. This is a very grave development and it could lead to a massacre." Israel officials have said they will not harm Arafat.

Arafat, who appealed to the world community for help, was holed up in a two-room office -- lacking electricity and running water -- with Israeli tanks just outside.

"I am appealing to the whole international world to stop this aggression against our people," he said by cell phone Saturday, "this military escalation day by night, this killing .... Where has this been done all over the world?" He made similar comments Friday. (Full story)

Gideon Meir, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said the incursions would last until Israeli Defense Forces succeeded in their campaign against terrorism.

He said the goal of the military operation in Ramallah was to "isolate" Arafat -- whom Prime Minister Ariel Sharon labeled an "enemy" on Friday -- so he "will not be able to instruct his terrorist organizations."

Palestinians have blamed Israel for the escalating violence, pointing to the incursions as antagonistic and demanding a withdrawal of Israeli forces.

But President Bush, speaking from his Texas ranch, said Arafat must do more to stop violence.

"I think Chairman Arafat could do a lot more. I truly believe that. I believe he needs to stand up and condemn, in Arabic, these attacks," Bush said. (Full story)

Bush also said he understood "Israel's need to defend herself and I respect that," but he urged the Israeli government to "make sure that there is a path to peace as she secures her homeland."

In response to the Israeli incursions, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution early Saturday demanding Israel withdraw from Palestinian cities, including Ramallah. The resolution also called on both sides to cooperate with U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni's cease-fire efforts. (Full story)

Zinni has spent the past two weeks in the region pushing for the implementation of a plan to break the cycle of attack and reprisal, and on Thursday the Arab League adopted a Saudi-proposed blueprint for peace. Bush said Saturday he has asked Zinni to stay in the region as "an opportunity for people to come together."

Just outside Ramallah, in al Bireh, Israeli forces rounded up hundreds of Palestinian males between the ages of 15 and 45. About 260 men were taken into a nearby school for questioning. Israeli forces have detained about 140 men in the past two days.

Meanwhile, the bodies of five Palestinians, four in military-style uniforms, were found shot to death in another building in downtown Ramallah on Saturday. (Full story)

The Israeli army said a gunfight began when a Palestinian opened fire on soldiers outside the building and then threw a hand grenade.

"In response, the Israeli army forces entered the building to search for the gunman, and when they entered, the gunmen opened fire from one of the rooms," the army said.

Other developments