Earlier today, the Al Aska Martyrs Brigade claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in southern Israel, initially saying the two killers came from Gaza. The attack would have been deadlier had the second bomber not been shot in the head before detonating himself. This “rare suicide bombing,” as the anti-Israeli bbc originally reported, comes less than two weeks after Hamas bombed a security fence between Gaza and Egypt, allowing terrorists and weapons to flow freely across the Rafah border.

Later in the day, Israeli security officials said the two attackers may have came from Hebron—not Gaza. Wherever they came from, the porous border at Rafah is sure to be a security nightmare for southern Israel. With Hamas terror cells already believed to have infiltrated the Sinai Desert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak has called for a security fence to be built along Israel’s southern border with Egypt.

After today’s bombing, Shas leader Eli Yishai called on Prime Minister Olmert to suspend peace negotiations with the Palestinians and to reconsider taking control of the Philadelphi Corridor between Egypt and Gaza. This statement from Shas, still part of Olmert’s shaky coalition, may indicate the party is one step closer to breaking up the government.

The southern territories of Israel remain on high alert.