Megiddo Junction bus bombing

Last updated

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
Israel outline jezreel.png
Red pog.svg
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. [4]

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. [5]

Iyad Sawalha, the perpetrator who assembled the car bomb, was eliminated by IDF special forces from Sayeret Golani and Egoz Unit on November 9. [6]

Related Research Articles

Note: This compilation includes only those attacks that resulted in casualties. Attacks which did not kill or wound are not included.

This page is a partial listing of incidents of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Defensive Shield</span> 2002 Israeli military operation

Operation Defensive Shield was a 2002 Israeli military operation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during the Second Intifada. Lasting for just over a month, it was the largest combat operation in the West Bank since the start of Israel's occupation in 1967.

This page is a partial listing of incidents of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxim restaurant suicide bombing</span> 2003 Palestinian terror attack in Haifa, Israel

The Maxim restaurant bombing was a Palestinian suicide bombing which occurred on October 4, 2003, in the beachfront "Maxim" restaurant in Haifa, Israel. Twenty-one civilians were killed and 60 were injured. Among the victims were two families and four children, including a two-month-old baby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popular Resistance Committees</span> Coalition of Palestinian groups

The Popular Resistance Committees is a coalition of a number of armed Palestinian groups opposed to what they regard as the conciliatory approach of the Palestinian Authority and Fatah towards Israel.

This page is a partial listing of incidents of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2005.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestinian Islamic Jihad</span> Paramilitary organization based in Gaza

The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, commonly known simply as Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), is a Palestinian Islamist paramilitary organization formed in 1981.

Events in the year 2005 in Israel.

Events in the year 2004 in Israel.

Events in the year 2002 in Israel.

Events in the year 2005 in the Palestinian territories.

The Camp 80 junction bus 823 attack was a suicide bombing which occurred on November 29, 2001, on an Egged bus in northern Israel. The bus, en route from Nazareth to Tel Aviv, was traveling through the town of Pardes Hanna-Karkur. Three passengers were killed in the attack and nine were injured.

Events in the year 2001 in the Palestinian territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allenby Street bus bombing</span> 2012 suicide attack in Tel Aviv, Israel

The Allenby Street bus bombing was a Palestinian suicide bombing that occurred on September 19, 2002 on a Dan bus in the center of Tel Aviv's business district. Six civilians were killed in the attack and approximately 70 were injured. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Neve Sha'anan Street bombing was a double suicide bombing attack which occurred on 17 July 2002 in the Neve Sha'anan street in Tel Aviv, near the Old Tel Aviv Central Bus Station. 5 people were killed in the attack and approximately 40 people were injured. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Sonol gas station bombing was a double suicide bombing attack which occurred on October 27, 2002, near a Sonol gas station located at the entrance to Ariel, an Israeli settlement city in the West Bank. Three people were killed in the attack and approximately 18 people were injured. All of the fatalities were IDF reservists. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binyamina train station suicide bombing</span> 2001 Palestinian attack in Binyamina, Israel

The Binyamina train station suicide bombing occurred on 16 July 2001 by a Palestinian suicide bomber near the Binyamina railway station in the town of Binyamina-Giv'at Ada, Israel. Two people were killed and 11 were injured.

References

  1. Suicide bombing at Megiddo junction
  2. "Israel bus attack kills 17". BBC News. June 5, 2002.
  3. James Bennet (June 8, 2002). "In Israeli Bed, Failed Bomber Tells of 'Love of Martyrdom'". The New York Times .
  4. Suicide bombing at Megiddo junction - 5-Jun-2002 Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  5. Israelis leave Arafat compound after raid. CNN, 6 June 2002
  6. Militant Leader Killed in West Bank, AP News, 9 November 2002