Palestinian forces have arrested 14 members of the Islamic militant group Hamas after Mr Yasser Arafat ordered measures to foil attacks on Israeli civilians, a security official said.
The arrests in the Gaza Strip were the first of militants to be carried out by the Palestinian Authority since Israel began an offensive across the West Bank on March 29th aimed at suicide bomber networks. The army has since withdrawn from most towns it occupied.
Israeli officials suspect Gaza was the springboard for the attack that blew apart a billiards hall late on Tuesday night.
Mr Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas official, criticised the move. "These arrests are totally rejected especially at this particular time when Israel is preparing to attack Gaza," he said. Hamas sources said none of the 14 detainees was well-known for militant activity.
Hamas, which seeks Israel's destruction, did not confirm or deny media reports that it was behind the attack.
The group has committed scores of suicide bombings against Israel before and during a 19-month Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank.