Megiddo Junction bus bombing

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Megiddo Junction bus bombing
Part of the Second Intifada militancy campaign
PikiWiki Israel 9565 monument of the meggido junction terror attack 56.jpg
The memorial built near the attack site in memory of the victims
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The attack site
Location Israel
Coordinates 32°34′22″N35°11′31″E / 32.57278°N 35.19194°E / 32.57278; 35.19194
DateJune 5, 2002;22 years ago (2002-06-05)
7:15 am (GMT+2)
Attack type
 Suicide bombing, car bombing
Deaths17 (+1 bomber)
Injured43 Israelis (mostly soldiers)
Perpetrators Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility
AssailantHamza Samudi

The Megiddo Junction bus bombing was the suicide bombing of an Egged bus at Megiddo Junction in northern Israel on June 5, 2002. 17 people were killed and 43 wounded, the majority of them IDF soldiers.

Contents

The Palestinian Islamist militant organization Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.

Attack

On 5 June 2002, a Palestinian suicide bomber drove a Renault van loaded with dozens of kilograms of explosives to Highway 65. At Megiddo Junction, he approached Egged bus no. 830, filled with passengers, traveling from Tel Aviv to Tiberias. At 7:15 am, the bomber detonated the explosive device near the fuel tank of the bus, causing it to burst into flames. [1] According to a member of the rescue crew, "people were thrown out of the bus by the force of the bomb" and rescuers could not board the vehicle immediately due to the extreme heat. [2]

The blast killed 13 Israeli soldiers and four civilians. [3] 43 passengers were injured, most of them soldiers. [1] One of the civilian casualties, Eliyahu Timsit, wasn't identified for six months. [4] The mystery of the unidentified victim inspired filmmaker David Ofek  [ he ] to perform an investigation which ultimately led to a successful identification of the last victim. The investigative process resulted in the documentary named The 17th Victim  [ he ] which was released in 2003. [5]

Perpetrators and retaliation

After the attack the Palestinian Islamist terror organization Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack and stated that the attack was carried out by an 18-year-old Palestinian named Hamza Samudi who originated from Jenin and had taken driving lessons four days before the attack, especially for this mission. In response, Israeli forces put Yasser Arafat under siege in his Ramallah compound once again. [6]

Iyad Sawalha, the perpetrator who assembled the car bomb, was eliminated by IDF special forces from Sayeret Golani and Egoz Unit on November 9. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Suicide bombing at Megiddo junction - 5-Jun-2002". Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs . June 5, 2002. Archived from the original on June 1, 2004.
  2. ↑ "Israel bus attack kills 17". BBC News . June 5, 2002. Archived from the original on October 19, 2002.
  3. ↑ Bennet, James (June 8, 2002). "In Israeli Bed, Failed Bomber Tells of 'Love of Martyrdom'". The New York Times . Archived from the original on July 16, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Eliyahu Timsit". Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. June 5, 2002. Archived from the original on April 5, 2025.
  5. ↑ "The 17th Victim". Jerusalem Cinematheque. 2003. The Jerusalem Cinematheque's Israel Film Archive. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Israelis leave Arafat compound after raid". CNN . June 6, 2002. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013.
  7. ↑ Tarabay, Jamie (November 9, 2002). "Militant Leader Killed in West Bank". Associated Press . Archived from the original on April 29, 2023.
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