| Beersheba bus bombings | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Second Intifada militancy campaign | |
|
The attack site
|
|
| Location | Beersheba |
| Date | August 31, 2004 Shortly before 3:00 pm |
| Attack type | suicide bombing |
| Deaths | 16 Israeli civilians (+ 2 suicide bombers) |
| Injured | 80 Israeli civilians |
| Perpetrator(s) | 2 Palestinian assailants (Nassem Jabari and Ahmad Qawasme). Hamas claimed responsibility |
The Beersheba bus bombings were two suicide bombings carried out nearly simultaneously aboard commuter buses in Beersheba, Israel, on August 31, 2004. 16 people were killed[1] and 80 were injured.
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Contents |
At time of the attacks, the "Metrodan Beersheba" public buses (lines 6 and 12) were travelling along the main street of Beersheba, Rager boulevard, near the city hall.[2] 14:50 pm the first bomber blew up the explosive device hidden underneath his cloths on bus No. 6 as the bus passed a busy intersection in the center of Be'er Sheva. Two minutes later, the second bomber blew himself up while on board the bus No. 12 which was located about 100 meters away from the first bus.
Many of the passengers had been returning from shopping at an open-air market, while others were students coming home from school.[3] According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the fatalities, all residents of Beersheba, were:[4]
|
After the attack Hamas claimed responsibility. Hamas distributed leaflets in Hebron which stated that the attack was a revenge for the assassination of Hamas leaders Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi by Israel.[21] The Israeli government accused Syria[22][23] and "terror command posts in Damascus" of involvement in the attack.[24]
A video tape which was published after the attack by Hamas showed the two suicide bombers, Nassem Jabari (22) and Ahmad Qawasme (26), posing with rifles and posters.[3]
Following the bombing, an estimated 20,000 Hamas supporters in Gaza took to Gaza's streets on Tuesday, celebrating the successful attack.[3]
The Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom placed the blame at Yasser Arafat for not preventing the attacks, and for bringing nothing but "terror and evil" since his return to the Palestinian territories.[4]
On September 26, 2004, Izz El-Deen Sheikh Khalil, a senior member of the military wing of the Hamas was killed in an automobile booby trap , in the al-Zahera district of southern Damascus, Syria. The car bombing was blamed on the Israeli government, which has not officially claimed responsibility, however unnamed Israeli sources unofficially acknowledged responsibility, calling it a response to the Beersheba bus bombings.[24]