Pi Glilot bombing
Encyclopedia
The Pi Glilot bombing was an attempt by a Palestinian terrorist to cause a massive explosion in the Pi Glilot LPG depot north of Tel Aviv
. It occurred on May 23, 2002. The attempt was foiled with no injuries, but if it had succeeded, it could have killed hundreds of Israel
i citizens in a massive fireball.
, north of Tel Aviv
near Ramat Aviv
and the Glilot junction on Highway 2
. As the truck was being filled with diesel, a bomb on the underside of the truck was detonated, causing the truck to rupture and catch fire. The driver was thrown from the vehicle but was not injured. Safety workers at the facility put out the fire using sprinkler systems.
Israeli police stated that the bomb had been placed on the truck by a Palestinian terrorist while the truck was parked overnight in a publicly accessible lot. He waited for the truck to be refueled, then detonated the bomb using a remote-control device, possibly a mobile phone.
Israeli officials said that if the plot had succeeded, the fire would have spread to nearby gas tanks stored in the Pi Glilot facility. This would have sparked a chain reaction
, causing a massive fireball that would have consumed everything within a radius of several kilometers, killing thousands of people. If the truck had been carrying a more volatile fuel than diesel, disaster would have been more likely.
The Pi Glilot was one of many attacks in May 2002 as part of the Second intifada. A suicide bomber attacked a crowded city center in Rishon Lezion that same evening of May 23 at 9:30 PM. Israeli security foiled in 2003 a plot to bomb the Azrieli towers in Tel Aviv with a 1,000-kilogram bomb.
After the attack, operations at the Pi Glilot facility were suspended. The government demanded that the facility be shut down within 90 days, but changed its mind and allowed it to remain open until 2004.
This incident occurred two weeks after the end of Operation Defensive Shield
, a military operation by the Israeli army to combat Palestinian terrorist groups, by carrying out raids, such as during the Battle of Jenin
and the Siege of the Church of the Nativity, in the West Bank
.
In the immediate aftermath, no Palestinian organization claimed responsibility for the attack. Later, in November 2002, the Israeli Shin Bet found a Hamas
group that was responsible for the Pi Glilot bombing and other attacks. Three members of a Hamas cell in Jerusalem that orchestrated the Pi Glilot attack were given life sentences for other attacks that killed 35 people.
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...
. It occurred on May 23, 2002. The attempt was foiled with no injuries, but if it had succeeded, it could have killed hundreds of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i citizens in a massive fireball.
The attack
On Thursday, May 23, 2002, an Israeli truck driver drove a truck into the Pi Glilot gas depot, located in HerzliyaHerzliya
Herzliya is a city in the central coast of Israel, at the western part of the Tel Aviv District. It has a population of 87,000 residents. Named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, Herzliya covers an area of 26 km²...
, north 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...
near Ramat Aviv
Ramat Aviv
Ramat Aviv is the name of several neighborhoods in the Northwest District of Tel Aviv, Israel:* Ramat Aviv Aleph * Ramat Aviv Bet * Ramat Aviv Gimmel...
and the Glilot junction on Highway 2
Highway 2 (Israel)
Highway 2 is an Israeli highway located on the coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea. It stretches from Tel Aviv to Haifa. The highway is also called The Coastal Highway or The New Haifa - Tel Aviv Highway ....
. As the truck was being filled with diesel, a bomb on the underside of the truck was detonated, causing the truck to rupture and catch fire. The driver was thrown from the vehicle but was not injured. Safety workers at the facility put out the fire using sprinkler systems.
Israeli police stated that the bomb had been placed on the truck by a Palestinian terrorist while the truck was parked overnight in a publicly accessible lot. He waited for the truck to be refueled, then detonated the bomb using a remote-control device, possibly a mobile phone.
Israeli officials said that if the plot had succeeded, the fire would have spread to nearby gas tanks stored in the Pi Glilot facility. This would have sparked a chain reaction
Chain reaction
A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events....
, causing a massive fireball that would have consumed everything within a radius of several kilometers, killing thousands of people. If the truck had been carrying a more volatile fuel than diesel, disaster would have been more likely.
Aftermath
Before the attack, several attempts were made to find a suitable place to relocate the Pi Glilot facility away from a densely populated area. These attempts were blocked by local governments who did not want the gas depot to be built in their jurisdictions. 3,000 tons of gas were stored at the facility.The Pi Glilot was one of many attacks in May 2002 as part of the Second intifada. A suicide bomber attacked a crowded city center in Rishon Lezion that same evening of May 23 at 9:30 PM. Israeli security foiled in 2003 a plot to bomb the Azrieli towers in Tel Aviv with a 1,000-kilogram bomb.
After the attack, operations at the Pi Glilot facility were suspended. The government demanded that the facility be shut down within 90 days, but changed its mind and allowed it to remain open until 2004.
This incident occurred two weeks after the end of Operation Defensive Shield
Operation Defensive Shield
Operation Defensive Shield was a large-scale military operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces in 2002, during the course of the Second Intifada. It was the largest military operation in the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War. The operation was an attempt by the Israeli army to stop the...
, a military operation by the Israeli army to combat Palestinian terrorist groups, by carrying out raids, such as during the Battle of Jenin
Battle of Jenin
The Battle of Jenin took place in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. Israel Defense Forces entered the camp, and other areas under the administration of the Palestinian Authority, during the Second Intifada, as part of Operation Defensive Shield...
and the Siege of the Church of the Nativity, 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...
.
In the immediate aftermath, no Palestinian organization claimed responsibility for the attack. Later, in November 2002, the Israeli Shin Bet found a 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...
group that was responsible for the Pi Glilot bombing and other attacks. Three members of a Hamas cell in Jerusalem that orchestrated the Pi Glilot attack were given life sentences for other attacks that killed 35 people.
Further reading
- Pi Glilot bombing search results on Google NewsGoogle NewsGoogle News is a free news aggregator provided by Google Inc, selecting recent items from thousands of publications by an automatic aggregation algorithm....