Afula Bus suicide bombing
Encyclopedia
The Afula Bus suicide bombing was the suicide bombing attack that was carried out on April 6, 1994 at a bus next to a Egged bus in the center of Afula
, Israel
. Eight Israeli civilians were killed in the attack and 55 additional people were injured. Hamas
claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Afula Bus suicide bombing was the first suicide bombing attack to be carried out by Palestinian militants against Israeli civilians in Israel.
chief bombmaker Yahya Ayyash
, whom initially began to plan suicide bombings within Israel in 1992.
Ayyash rigged a 1987 Opel Ascona
with seven gas cylinders, five anti-personal hand grenade
s, and wrapped the bomb in a rucksack containing 1,100 carpenter nails.
The suicide bomber stopped his vehicle next to a Egged commuter bus line number 348 and detonated the explosives device as the bus was boarding passengers at the bus stop which was crowded with people.
and whom was a member of the Abdel el-Rahman Hamadan militant cell of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
. Zaqarna drove to the intersection of Afula's 9th Brigade (Hativa Tesha) street, and pulled in front of the #348 bus. As a group of Israeli students boarded the bus, Zaqarna detonated the bomb.
In addition, Hamas publicly declared that the attack, which was carried out 40 days after the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre
(the end of the mourning period according to the Islamic religion), was carried out in revenge for the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre.
in the West Bank
on April 16, 1993. "A year later, on April 6, 1994, Hamas carried out its first successful suicide car bomb attack in Israel proper when a car packed with nearly 400 pounds of explosives detonated beside a bus picking up students in the Israeli town of Afula ..."
Afula
Afula is a city in the North District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley", referring to the Jezreel Valley. The city had a population of 40,500 at the end of 2009.-History:...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Eight Israeli civilians were killed in the attack and 55 additional people were injured. 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 Afula Bus suicide bombing was the first suicide bombing attack to be carried out by Palestinian militants against Israeli civilians in Israel.
Preparations for the attack
The Afula Bus suicide bombing attack was planned by HamasHamas
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...
chief bombmaker Yahya Ayyash
Yahya Ayyash
Yahya Abd-al-Latif Ayyash was the chief bombmaker of Hamas and the leader of the West Bank battalion of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, whom initially began to plan suicide bombings within Israel in 1992.
Ayyash rigged a 1987 Opel Ascona
Opel Ascona
The Opel Ascona was a mid-sized car produced by Opel. It had three generations produced from 1970 to 1988. In motorsport, the Ascona 400 rally car driven by Walter Röhrl won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in the 1982 season....
with seven gas cylinders, five anti-personal hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s, and wrapped the bomb in a rucksack containing 1,100 carpenter nails.
The attack
Around 11 am, during the Holocaust Memorial Day, a Palestinian suicide bomber, drove a vehicle full of explosives into the division nine street in downtown Afula.The suicide bomber stopped his vehicle next to a Egged commuter bus line number 348 and detonated the explosives device as the bus was boarding passengers at the bus stop which was crowded with people.
Fatalities
|
Afula Afula is a city in the North District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley", referring to the Jezreel Valley. The city had a population of 40,500 at the end of 2009.-History:... Afula Afula is a city in the North District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley", referring to the Jezreel Valley. The city had a population of 40,500 at the end of 2009.-History:... Iksal Iksal is an Arab local council in northern Israel, about southeast of Nazareth. It has an area of 9,000 dunams and a population of 11,700 primarily Muslim inhabitants... Afula Afula is a city in the North District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley", referring to the Jezreel Valley. The city had a population of 40,500 at the end of 2009.-History:... – died of her wounds on April 25, 1994 |
The perpetrators
A few hours after the blast, Hamas issued a communique stating that the bombing was carried out by a 19-year-old Palestinian named Ra'id Zaqarna, whom orginated from the village of Qabatya in the West BankWest Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and whom was a member of the Abdel el-Rahman Hamadan militant cell of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades is the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist fundamentalist socio-political organisation Hamas. Created in 1992, under the direction of Yahya Ayyash, the primary objective of the group was to build a coherent military organisation to support the goals of...
. Zaqarna drove to the intersection of Afula's 9th Brigade (Hativa Tesha) street, and pulled in front of the #348 bus. As a group of Israeli students boarded the bus, Zaqarna detonated the bomb.
In addition, Hamas publicly declared that the attack, which was carried out 40 days after the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre
Cave of the Patriarchs massacre
The Cave of the Patriarchs massacre was a terrorist attack that occurred when Baruch Goldstein, an Israeli settler and member of the far-right Israeli Kach movement, opened fire on unarmed Palestinian Muslims praying inside the Ibrahim Mosque at the Cave of the Patriarchs site in Hebron in the...
(the end of the mourning period according to the Islamic religion), was carried out in revenge for the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre.
External links
- FM Peres reaction to Afula attack - 06-Apr-94 - published at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Incident at Afula - published on The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
on April 7, 1994 - Arab car bomber kills 8 in Israel; 44 are wounded - published on the New York Times on April 7, 1994
- Arafat declines to condemn attack - published on the Jerusalem Post on April 7, 1994
- Us Urges Arafat To Condemn Blast - published on the Milwaukee Sentinel on April 7, 1994
- Israelis' Faith In Peace Is Put Under Strain by Bombing and New Attack - published on the New York Times on April 8, 1994
Footnotes
The first suicide car bomb attack took place at the Mehola Junction bombingMehola Junction bombing
The Mehola Junction bombing was the first suicide car bomb attack carried out by Palestinian militants and took place on April 16, 1993....
in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
on April 16, 1993. "A year later, on April 6, 1994, Hamas carried out its first successful suicide car bomb attack in Israel proper when a car packed with nearly 400 pounds of explosives detonated beside a bus picking up students in the Israeli town of Afula ..."