Karkur junction suicide bombing

Karkur junction bus bombing
Part of the Second Intifada militancy campaign
The attack site
Location	Karkur junction, Wadi Ara, Israel
Date	October 21, 2002;23 years ago (2002-10-21)
Attack type	Suicide bomber
Deaths	7 soldiers 7 civilians 2 attackers
Injured	50+
Perpetrator	Islamic Jihad

The Karkur junction bus bombing was a suicide attack on October 21, 2002, at the Karkur junction near Wadi Ara, Israel. The attack, carried out by Islamic Jihad, killed 14 passengers and wounded 50.

The attack

Egged commuter bus 841 was on Route No. 65 from Kiryat Shmona to Tel Aviv when it stopped at the Karkur junction, about eight kilometres (5.0 mi) from Hadera at the afternoon rush hour. A passenger got on and spoke to driver Chaim Avraham, but before he could answer, a jeep loaded with an estimated 100 kilograms (220 lb) of TNT rammed the back of the bus, causing an explosion. A fire broke out, causing a chain of explosions from the ammunition carried by soldiers who were riding the bus. ^[1] The explosion ignited the fuel tank, leaving the bus completely gutted. The blaze initially prevented the police and rescue workers from approaching the bus, which was reduced to a blackened skeleton. ^[2]

Seven Israeli soldiers and seven civilians were killed in the attack, and 50 passengers were wounded. ^[3]

Official reactions

The Palestinian Authority said it condemned the suicide bombing. An Israeli official expressed skepticism, declaring that "The Palestinian Authority has become a prime authority on terror and could not care less about preventing it." ^[4]

See also

• Israeli casualties of war  – Overview of Israeli casualties during armed conflict

External links

• 16 Die After Car Blast Causes Bus Fire In Israel - published on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on October 22, 2002
• Suicide car-bomb attack kills 14 in Israel - published on The Independent on October 22, 2002
• Bus Blast in Israel Kills at Least 14; Explosive-Laden Vehicle Sets Off Rush-Hour Inferno; 50 Injured Archived November 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine - published on The Washington Post on October 22, 2002
• Terror attack kills 14 in Israel - published on CNN on October 22, 2002
• Suicide bombing of Egged bus No 841 at Karkur junction - published at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs

References

1. "Suicide bombing in Israel kills at least 14, wounds 40". Daily Emerald . Hadera. Tribune Media Services. 22 October 2002. OCLC   704987467. Archived from the original on 16 March 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
2. "bombing of Egged bus no. 841 at Karkur junction". Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
3. "Karkur junction". Israeli Prime Minister's Office . 21 October 2002. Archived from the original on 3 January 2006.
4. "Militants bomb Israeli bus". BBC News. 21 October 2002. Archived from the original on 12 February 2003.