2002 Beit She'an attack

Not to be confused with 1974 Beit She'an attack.

2002 Beit She'an attack
Part of the Second Intifada militancy campaign
The attack site
Location	Beit She'an, Israel
Date	November 28, 2002
Attack type	Shooting
Deaths	6 Israeli civilians (+ 2 attackers)
Injured	34 Israeli civilians
Perpetrators	Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility

The 2002 Beit She'an attack, which took place during November 28, 2002, was a terrorist attack carried out by members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the city of Beit She'an, Israel. Gunmen opened fire and threw grenades at the Likud party polling station where party members were casting their votes in the Likud primary. ^[1]

Six Israeli civilians were killed during the incident and 34 civilians were injured. ^[2]

The attack

City of Beit She'an in 2008

On November 28, 2002 at 3:20 pm two Palestinians, Omar and Yousef Rub from Jalbun, ^[3] drove in a stolen vehicle into Beit She'an and parked it in front of Likud headquarters. Entering the polling station, they detonated grenades and fired automatic weapons at close range into lines of people waiting to cast their ballots. ^[4] Soon thereafter a battle developed which ended with the two terrorists shot dead by a border policeman who happened to be in the area. One of the assailants was wearing an explosives belt under his jacket. ^[5]

Four Israelis were killed in the attack, and two others died in the hospital from their injuries. Dozens of people were wounded, including three sons of the former Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy. ^[6]

An eyewitness living near the Likud offices told the media that one of the gunmen laughed as he shot people. "I opened the window and I simply saw the terrorist standing, smiling, laughing and shooting in all directions. ^[7]

Perpetrators

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility, and Israel named Zakaria Zubeidi, a leader of the brigades, as the prime suspect who planned the attack. ^[8] This and other attacks he was involved in made him one of Israel's most wanted men in the West Bank. ^{[9] [10]}

Victims

David Peretz, 48, of Beit She'an [11] Haim Amar, 56, of Beit She'an [12] Shaul Zilberstein, 36, of Upper Nazareth [13]

Ehud (Yehuda) Avitan, 54, of Beit She'an [14] Mordechai Avraham, 44, of Beit She'an [15] Ya'acov Lary, 35, of Beit She'an [16]

See also

• 1974 Beit She'an attack
• List of terrorist incidents, 2002

References

1. "Six Killed in Shootings in Northern Israel". Fox News. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
2. "Six Israelis dead in poll shooting". Telegraph.co.uk. 28 November 2002. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
3. Israeli Occupation troops Blow Up Homes of Resistance men
4. Fisher, Ian (29 November 2002). "6 Israelis Die in Raid on Polling Station". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
5. "BBC NEWS - Middle East - Gunmen strike during Likud polls". 28 November 2002. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
6. Three of MK David Levy's sons among the wounded in Beit She'an
7. "BBC NEWS - Middle East - Gunmen strike during Likud polls". 28 November 2002. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
8. 6 Palestinian terrorists use crawl space to escape maximum-security Israeli prison
9. These Are the Palestinian Jailbreakers That Have Put Israel on Red Alert
10. "Israel Captures Four Out of Six Palestinian Fugitives". Haaretz. Retrieved 2021-09-15. Zubeidi is the most infamous of the six. A former commander of Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade, he was behind the 2002 attack at a Likud party branch in Beit She'an in which six people were killed, among other attacks
11. David Peretz
12. Haim Amar
13. Shaul Zilberstein
14. Ehud -Yehuda- Avitan
15. Mordechai Avraham
16. Ya-acov Lary

Coordinates: 32°29′49″N35°30′12″E / 32.49694°N 35.50333°E / 32.49694; 35.50333