More Details:
From Haaretz:
22:22 Al-Jazeera: Most of those wounded in blast at Hilton Hotel in Taba are Israelis
22:21 Ceiling collapses following explosion at Hilton Hotel in Taba; cause of blast still unclear
22:10 Explosion at Hilton Hotel in Taba, near Israel-Egypt border; injuries reported
Blast at Hilton Hotel in Taba, close to Egypt-Israel border
By Revital Levy-Stein, Haaretz Correspondent
An explosion occurred at the Hilton Hotel in the Egyptian town of Taba in the Sinai Desert on Thursday evening, on the border with Israel.
There were reports of casualties in the blast. The Qatar-based satellite channel Al-Jazeera said that most of those wounded in the blast are Israelis.
A ceiling in the hotel collapsed following the blast, Army Radio said.
A large number of Border Policemen and Israel Defense Forces soldiers were amassed on Egyptian border, and Israel Air Force fighter planes were scrambled following the blast.
It is unclear what caused the explosion. Some reports said that the blast could have been caused by a gas cylinder.
Many Israelis have visited Egypt over the past month, during the period of Jewish holidays. Last month, the defense establishment cautioned Israelis against traveling to Sinai, following warnings of a potential terrorist attack.
I don't mean to lessen the dispicable occurrence, but after all it is "The Hilton". What has this family accomplished to further morality...need I say more.
Blast at Egyptian Hotel Causes Casualties
11 minutes ago Middle East - AP
CAIRO, Egypt - A strong explosion damaged the Hilton hotel in Egypt's Taba resort, only yards from the Israeli border, on Thursday night, witnesses said. Israeli medics said they had been informed of "a large number of casualties."
"The whole front of the hotel has collapsed," witness Yigal Vakni told Israel's Army Radio. "There are dozens of people on the floor, lots of blood, it is very tense."
"I am standing outside of the hotel, the whole thing is burning and they have nothing to put it out with," he added. "There is nothing here."
On Sept. 9, the Israeli government urged citizens not to visit Egypt, citing a "concrete" terror threat to tourists in an area.
The blast could be heard strongly a mile from the hotel, said Selma Abu el-Dahab, who works at another Taba hotel. She said a worker from her hotel returned from the Hilton and told of the explosion before collapsing.
Taba is the main crossing between Israel and Egypt and the gateway for thousands of Israelis who travel to the hotels and resorts on the Red Sea. Thursday is the last day of the weeklong Jewish festival of Sukkot, when thousands of Israelis vacation in the Sinai.
Vakni said most of the people at the Hilton were Israeli.
"I was in the casino when it happened," he said. "There was a massive explosion and the left wall came down. People started to run around like crazy."
On Sept. 9, the Israeli government urged citizens not to visit Egypt, citing a "concrete" terror threat to tourists in an area.
The warning, issued by the counter-terrorism center in the Prime Minister's office, identified Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, where Taba is located, as the target of a potential attack.
"Recently a concrete possibility has emerged that terrorists will try to attack tourist centers in Egypt, especially the Sinai," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on its Web site.
I've spent many a day at the Taba Hilton, this hits close to home.
My wife is on the phone now with my daughter in Eilat. She's kins of shook up. We always think of Eilat as "more safe."
So Islamofascists are using "gas tanks" now?
Prayers for the well-being of all involved who fight the global terrorists.
Video report of first blast
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player.html?100704/usworld_mideastblast_100704&Big_Story&Deadly%20Blast&acc&U.S.%20%26%20World&0&ram-300
Israeli security authorities calling on Israelis in Egypt to leave immediately and come back into Israel. (IDF Radio).
World reaction so far to attack:
none
IDF radio reporting that right now
Where are all the moderate Muslims who should be outraged at the extremists who are supposedly hijacking their peaceful religion?
Just saw the ABC report on this atrocity on their network news.
Nothing of the negligence that is posted here here was mentioned by Peter Jennings and the on site reporters. A whitewash again as usual.
I expected no less.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom met with the foreign ministers of Tunisia and Egypt last week in New York. The topic, encouraging Israeli tourism.
Sorry to hear about this Yonif. I hope the loss of life is not as bad as first reported, but it does sound grim.
Other than my concern for human life, my first thought was to wonder if this was a yellow ryder truck with barrels of fertilizer in them.
One of these days the brain-trusts in our intelligence services are going to wake up and dig a little deeper into the Moslem angle to the OKC event. With the whole front of this hotel reportedly missing, this does sound a little like deja vu all over again. Sadly. Very sadly...
However, Egyptian officials said they had no evidence of terrorism.
That's a believable statement. Hardeehar.
What in the heck is wrong with Sharon? If I were his age, I would wipe Palestine from the face of the earth, and that would be my legacy to Israel.
The next guy in line could take credit for talking trash about what a butcher I am, and how sorry Israel is for my deplorable actions, and he can apologize to the international community. But there would not be one, so called, Palestinian left to apologize to.
Fox news just reported a terrorist has been captured with a computer disc with 8 American schools floor plans.
These scum hit tourists, school children and buses and run to hide in mosques when they are confronted by Military.
Oh, this is a serious news story. I thought from the headline this was about another video involving a family member of Paris...