Palestinian bomb cat picture shocks civilised world

The civilised world recoiled in disgust as a horrifying photo of a Palestinian kitten dressed as a suicide bomber was released by Israel yesterday.

It is said to have been found at a militant's home in the West Bank city of Hebron and appears to be genuine. And it is a bleak new symbol of despair in the turmoil of the Middle East. The cat wears a belt of explosives and two bandoliers of bullets.

The Israeli army, which released the picture, says it was found during a search. There were suspicions that it might be part of Israel's propaganda war. But suicide animals are the new heroes of the Palestinian struggle for their own homeland.

The kitten's owners would have trained and brainwashed the feline freak to wear the red bandana and explosives — originally containing nothing more dangerous than sweetcorn — and then at a given moment, lick its genitals to set off the device. The kitten could have no idea of the consequences of its actions until it was too late.

Israeli troops report an increasing incidence of suicide animals, with cats the greatest feared of them all thanks to their agility and ability to climb walls. Just last week, three soldiers were killed when a cow with a hidden landmine in its udder rolled underneath an armoured personnel carrier. And on 10 June, nine were injured, including a man, when a seagull dive-bombed into a hotel foyer.

"It's getting worse," Israeli army lieutenant Archie Sighcoe told us. "Now we have to shoot all animals as well as women and children." Meanwhile, moderate president Ariel Sharon has called on Yasser Arafat to either destroy or reveal the whereabouts of Hamas' zoos and menageries — or pay the price.