Bomb Explosion in Lod Kills One and Injures 20 Other Persons

A bomb explosion in the Lod vegetable market killed one woman and injured 20 other persons, mostly women and children, this morning in the latest manifestation of terrorist violence aimed against the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. In an earlier explosion, 13 persons were injured when a hand grenade exploded in the Old City of Jerusalem last night at about the time the treaty signing ceremonies were taking place in Washington.

The Lod blast occurred at 8:25 a.m. local time when the market was filled with housewives on their doily shopping rounds, many of them with small children. The victims were rushed to nearby hospitals while police detained a number of local Arabs for questioning. Lod, a town midway between Tel Aviv and the West Bank, has a mixed Arab-Jewish population.

Police were kept busy protecting Arab laborers from the wrath of some Jewish residents offer the explosion. The woman who died was not immediately identified. The fatality was the second since Friday when one man was killed and 13 persons were wounded by a bomb explosion near Zion Square in downtown Jerusalem.

The victims of the grenade explosion in the Old City included two local Arabs but most were young tourists from abroad. They were taken for treatment to the Shaare Zedek and Hadassah Hospitals. Police later questioned the injured Arabs on suspicion that they were carrying the grenade to commit a terrorist act when it detonated by accident or because of mishandling. The incidents today and yesterday appear to be part of an accelerated terrorist campaign to protest the Israeli-Egyptian treaty.