17 wounded in blast on Tel Aviv bus as truce remains elusive

TEL AVIV (AFP, REUTERS) - A blast ripped through a bus in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, injuring 17 people in what Israel said was a "terrorist" attack, further vexing international efforts to end relentless Gaza-linked violence.

The attack came as Hamas-controlled Gaza was rocked by new Israeli air strikes, and as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and United Nations chief Ban Ki Moon shuttled between Jerusalem and Ramallah trying to secure a halt to the bloodletting.

"A bomb exploded on a bus in central Tel Aviv. This was a terrorist attack," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman Ofir Gendelman said on his official Twitter account.

Medics said 17 people were wounded, including one in moderate to serious condition, while another three sustained moderate injuries.