A suicide bomber rocked the center of the Negev capital of Be'er Sheva early Sunday, wounding at least 51 people, two of them seriously, in the first such terror attack since Israel began its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip earlier this month.

The target of the attack may have been Soroka hospital, also the intended target of a foiled suicide bombing earlier this year.

Israeli security sources said it was not immediately known who was behind the attack, but that initial indications pointed to Hamas.

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The bomber had aroused the suspicions of the driver of a crowded Number 9 bus. Asked by the bomber if his bus went to Soroka, the driver directed him to another area, then alerted security guards, who pursued the attacker until he set off the bomb.

Witnesses said the alertness of the driver and the guards prevented what could have been a much more costly attack. The explosion occurred during the morning rush hour at the start of the Israeli work week.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which came three days after the Islamic Jihad had sworn "painful" revenge for a raid in which IDF troops killed five Palestinians in their hideout in the West Bank city of Tulkarm.

But Army Radio quoted unnamed security officials saying Sunday that the Hamas organization in Hebron is believed to have launched the attack.

Khaled al-Batch, an Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza, said he did not know who carried out the attack. "But it came as a natural reaction to the occupation crimes," he said. "It is our right to retaliate."

The bus driver told Israel Radio the suicide bomber was carrying a heavy bag and drew his suspicion.

"I was suspicious of him, he had a large back pack and a plastic bag in his hand," a witness who identified himself as a bus driver named Rami told Israel Radio. "I pointed him out to the guard. He was about 20 meters from the bus when he blew up. It was a huge explosion, very big," he said.

The bomber then detonated the explosives, seriously wounding the two guards. The wounded were all taken to Soroka Hospital in the city.

Yehuda Shoshan, a paramedic, said the two security guards were critically wounded. "They were suffering from shrapnel wounds and burns all over their bodies," he told Channel 10 TV.

A suicide bomber last struck in Israel on July 12, killing five people outside a shopping mall in the coastal city of Netanya.

Earlier this year, a Palestinian Gaza resident was caught on her way to carry out a suicide bombing at the Soroka Medical Center. She tried to take advantage of an entry permit into Israel she had obtained in order to receive medical treatment there.

Israel said soon after the bombing that unless the Palestinian Authority took steps to curb terrorism, there would be no progress on the diplomatic front.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the attack, saying "Violence will bring more violence, and what Israelis and Palestinians need today is more peace and not violence."

EMERGENCY HOTLINE, SOROKA HOSPITAL 12-55-177

BE'ER SHEVA MUNICIPALITY HOTLINE 08-646-3737