Jerusalem bus 2 massacre

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Jerusalem bus 2 massacre was a suicide bombing committed by a Palestinian terrorist in a crowded bus in Jerusalem, Israel, on August 19, 2003, which killed 23 people and wounded over 130. Many of the victims were children. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

1 The attack
2 The children's bus attack by Hamas
3 Reactions
4 The victims
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] The attack

On August 19, 2003, a Palestinian suicide bomber of Hamas' Hebron cell, apparently disguised as a Haredi Jew, detonated himself on a No. 2 Egged bus in Jerusalem's Shmuel Hanavi neighborhood. The double-length bus was crowded with Orthodox Jewish children coming back from the Western Wall. The huge explosion caused lethal damage, killing seven children and 16 adult civilians, and wounding over 130 people. The bomb was spiked with ball-bearings designed to increase injuries on the crowded bus. The Islamic militant group Hamas Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack and identified the attacker as a 29-year-old mosque preacher from the West Bank city of Hebron.

[edit] The children's bus attack by Hamas

Many of the victims were young children and the attack has become known in as "the children's bus." The Associated Press reported that: "Strollers were scattered near the stricken bus, medics carried away children with blood-smeared faces and a baby girl died in a hospital before doctors could find her parents. At least five children were among the 18 dead in Tuesday's suicide bombing by a Palestinian militant who blew himself up on a Jerusalem bus. Forty children were among more than 100 people injured. The attack was the 100th Palestinian suicide bombing against Israelis since the latest round of fighting began in September 2000. The youth of the victims stands out in that grim list, and the government said the choice of target was particularly cold-blooded." [1]

[edit] Reactions

Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, which put a final end to the so-called 3-month Hudna that had been announced on July 2003. U.S. president George W. Bush sent his condolences to the victims' families. The European Union and the UN also denounced the terrorist attack and called on the Palestinian Authority to intervene to bring a halt to acts of terrorism.

Aug 20: The European Commission strongly condemns last night's devastating terrorist attack in Jerusalem and expresses its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to the Israeli Government.

This is an attack on all the forces working for peace. The European Commission calls on the Palestinian Authority to do everything in its powers to prevent such unacceptable and unjustified act of violence, and urges the PA and the Israeli Government to pursue their dialogue and common efforts towards peace as set out in the Road Map.

Following the terrorist attack, IDF forces raided Hebron and killed or arrested several individuals who they said were involved in the planning and preparation of the attack.