Three Dead in Tel Aviv Area Explosion, Fire

A large explosion and fire in a building near Tel Aviv killed three people, Israeli occupation police said early on Tuesday, adding that they were still investigating the cause.

The explosion, which occurred in a hardware store in Jaffa late on Monday, caused adjacent structures to collapse.

Two men were pronounced dead at the scene, while a third died later of his injuries, police said.

Another four people were still being treated for their injuries, medics said.

AN Israeli police spokeswoman said the three men killed had provisionally been identified as a Jaffa resident, a man from the Israeli Arab town of Taibe and a Palestinian from the occupied West Bank.

Police said were still investigating whether the explosion was accidental or deliberate.