The 2002 Rishon LeZion bombing was a suicide bombing which occurred on May 7, 2002 at a crowded game club located in the new industrial area of Rishon Lezion. 16 people were killed in the attack and 55 were injured.

The Islamic militant group Hamas

Hamas

Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...

 claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack

On Tuesday, 7 May 2002 at 11:03 pm, a Palestinian

Palestinian people

The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...

 suicide bomber detonated a hidden explosive device within a crowded game club full of people located in the new industrial area of Rishon Lezion, only 10 km south of Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

, killing 16 innocent civilians and injuring 55 people, 10 of them in critical condition.

After the attack the Israeli police stated that the suicide bomber was carrying a briefcase full of explosives and in addition was also wearing an explosive belt

Explosive belt

An explosive belt is an improvised explosive device, a belt or a vest packed with explosives and armed with a detonator, worn by suicide bombers...

. The police estimated that the total weight of explosives were between 7 to 8 kilograms, and stated that the briefcase contained also metal fragments and bolts in order to maximize the number of casualties in the attack.

Fatalities

Pnina Hikri, 60, from Tel Aviv Sharuk Rassan, 42, from Holon Shoshana Magmari, 51, from Tel Aviv Anat Temporush, 36, from Ashdod Haim Rafael, 64, from Tel Aviv Daliah Massah, 64, from Nahalat Yehudah Nir Lobatin, 31, from Herzliya Avi Biaz, 26, from Nes Tziona

Rahamim Kimche, 58, from Rishon Letzion Edna Cohen, 61, from Holon Yisrael Shikar, 45, from Rishon Letzion Yitzhak Bablar, 58, from Bat Yam Esther Bablar, 54, from Bat Yam Regina Malka Boslan, 62, from Tel Aviv Nawa Hinawi, 51, from Tel Aviv.

Aftermath

The attack was condemned by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

After the attack Irina Polishchuk, an Ukrainian illegal prostitute married the Palestinian-Arab Ibrahim Sarahne, was caught and convicted of participating in the 2002 Rishon LeZion bombing for her part in delivering the bomber to the site of the attack.

Release of attack collaborator

On 18 October 2011 Irina Polishchuk, whom was originally sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, was released to the West Bank as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange

Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange

The Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange followed an agreement between Israel and Hamas to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 prisoners – mainly Palestinians and Arab-Israelis, though among the prisoners released there was also a Ukrainian prisoner, a Jordanian prisoner, and a...

 between Israel and Hamas.

External links

• Suicide bomber kills 15 in Israel - published on May 8th, 2002 in The Guardian
  The Guardian
  The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
  
  
• Lin: The aftermath of the Rishon Letzion attack - published on May 8th, 2002 on CNN
  CNN
  Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
  
  
• Israeli Embassy Statement on May 7 Rishon LeZion Bombing - published on May 8th, 2002 on jewishfederations.org