Tel Aviv Jerusalem bus 405 massacre
Encyclopedia
The Tel Aviv-Jerusalem bus 405 attack was suicide attack
which was carried out on July 6, 1989 by a Palestinian
Islamic Jihad member on a crowded Egged commuter bus line No. 405 en route
from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem (Israel
) whom seized the steering wheel
of the bus from the driver and pulled the bus over a steep precipice into a ravine
in the area of Qiryat Ye'arim
. 16 civilians were killed in the attack—including two Canadians and one American—and 27 more were wounded.
The attack is regarded as the first Palestinian suicide attack
despite its perpetrator was not wearing a suicide belt as in later attacks, a common tactic during the Second Intifada.
to Jerusalem. One of the passengers on the bus was actually a Palestinian militant. When the bus passed Neve Ilan
the militant attacked the driver, seized the steering wheel
of the bus and pulled the bus over a steep precipice into a ravine
in the area of Qiryat Ye'arim
. The driver failed to stabilize the bus, and the bus rolled down to the depth of the ravine and caught on fire as some passengers whom were caught in the bus were burned alive.
Sixteen civilians were killed in the attack—including two Canadians and one American—and 27 more were wounded.
.
for murder, hijacking and terrorism.
between Israel and Hamas.
Suicide attack
A suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
which was carried out on July 6, 1989 by 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...
Islamic Jihad member on a crowded Egged commuter bus line No. 405 en route
Highway 1 (Israel)
Highway 1 , is the main highway connecting Tel Aviv with Jerusalem.-History:The section between Latrun and Jerusalem roughly follows an ancient path connecting Jaffa and Jerusalem...
from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem (Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
) whom seized the steering wheel
Steering wheel
A steering wheel is a type of steering control in vehicles and vessels ....
of the bus from the driver and pulled the bus over a steep precipice into a ravine
Ravine
A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep sides, on the order of twenty to...
in the area of Qiryat Ye'arim
Qiryat Ye'arim
Kiryat Ye'arim , also known as Telz-Stone, is a town in the Jerusalem District of Israel.According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2005 Kiryat Ye'arim had a population of 3,100, predominantly Jewish, with a growth rate of 1.2%.It is an almost exclusively Haredi town,...
. 16 civilians were killed in the attack—including two Canadians and one American—and 27 more were wounded.
The attack is regarded as the first Palestinian suicide attack
Suicide attack
A suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
despite its perpetrator was not wearing a suicide belt as in later attacks, a common tactic during the Second Intifada.
The attack
On July 6, 1989 Egged commuter bus line No. 405 began driving its regular route from Tel AvivTel 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...
to Jerusalem. One of the passengers on the bus was actually a Palestinian militant. When the bus passed Neve Ilan
Neve Ilan
Neve Ilan is a moshav shitufi in central Israel. Located west of Jerusalem, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 319...
the militant attacked the driver, seized the steering wheel
Steering wheel
A steering wheel is a type of steering control in vehicles and vessels ....
of the bus and pulled the bus over a steep precipice into a ravine
Ravine
A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep sides, on the order of twenty to...
in the area of Qiryat Ye'arim
Qiryat Ye'arim
Kiryat Ye'arim , also known as Telz-Stone, is a town in the Jerusalem District of Israel.According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2005 Kiryat Ye'arim had a population of 3,100, predominantly Jewish, with a growth rate of 1.2%.It is an almost exclusively Haredi town,...
. The driver failed to stabilize the bus, and the bus rolled down to the depth of the ravine and caught on fire as some passengers whom were caught in the bus were burned alive.
Sixteen civilians were killed in the attack—including two Canadians and one American—and 27 more were wounded.
Fatalities
|
Sha'arei Tikva Sha'arei Tikva is an Israeli settlement and a communal village located at an elevation of 200 metres north-east of Rosh HaAyin and one kilometre east of the Green Line near Elkana in the north-western West Bank... Winnipeg Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name... , Canada Netanya Netanya is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north.Its of beaches have made the... |
The perpetrator
The perpetrator who survived the crash received medical treatment for his injuries in an Israeli hospital. After the attack, it was revealed that perpetrator was a 25-year-old Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant named Abd al-Hadi Rafa Ghanim whom originated from the Nusseirat refugee camp in the Gaza StripGaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
.
Aftermath
Ghanim was later convicted and given 16 life sentencesLife imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
for murder, hijacking and terrorism.
Release from prison
On 18 October 2011 Ghanim, who was originally sentenced to 16 life sentences, was released to Gaza as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchangeGilad 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.
In popular culture
- In the NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
drama HeroesHeroes (TV series)Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
the character Hana Gitelman, along with her grandmother and mother, were on board when the attack happened. Of the three, Hana was the sole survivor and in the series she is turned into a superheroSuperheroA superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
. - Israeli singer Ruhama RazRuhama Raz- Biography :Raz was born in Jerusalem as Ruhama Zargari. When she was accepted to a military band she decided to changed her last name to Raz. Raz served in the Central Command band ....
recorded the song "As Rachel Waited" (כחכות רחל), which she wrote in memory of her sister, who was killed in the attack.
External links
- An eyewitness account of the driver who survived the attack
- MEMRI account of Palestinian media gloryifying the terrorist
- Newspaper article reporting the attack
- Jay Levinson and Elie Shmeltzer, "Disaster Victim Identification: Bus 405," Journal of Disaster Management, Volume 2/4 (April 1990).
- Jay Levinson, "The Crash of Bus 405: Victim Identification," International Criminal Police Review (INTER-POL, France), (May-June, 1992).