2002 In Israel
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Events in the year 2002 in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
.


Incumbents

*
President of Israel The president of the State of Israel (, or ) is the head of state of Israel. The president is mostly, though not entirely, ceremonial; actual executive power is vested in the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet led by the Prime Minister of Israel, pr ...
–
Moshe Katsav Moshe Katsav (; born Musa Qassab; 5 December 1945) is an Israeli former politician and was the president of Israel from 2000 to 2007. He was also a leading Likud member of the Israeli Knesset and a minister in its Cabinet of Israel, cabinet. He ...
*
Prime Minister of Israel The prime minister of Israel (, Hebrew abbreviations, Hebrew abbreviation: ; , ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief executive of the Israel, State of Israel. Israel is a parliamentary republic with a President of Isra ...
–
Ariel Sharon Ariel Sharon ( ; also known by his diminutive Arik, ; 26 February 192811 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the prime minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. Born in Kfar Malal in Mandatory Palestin ...
* President of the Supreme Court –
Aharon Barak Aharon Barak (; born 16 September 1936) is an Israeli lawyer and jurist who served as President of the Supreme Court of Israel from 1995 to 2006. Prior to this, Barak served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Israel from 1978 to 1995, and bef ...
* Chief of General Staff –
Shaul Mofaz Shaul Mofaz (; 4 November 1948) is a retired Israeli military officer and politician. He joined the Israel Defense Forces in 1966 and served in the Paratroopers Brigade. He fought in the Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War, 1982 Lebanon War, and Operati ...
to July 9
Moshe Ya'alon Moshe "Bogie" Ya'alon (; born Moshe Smilansky; 24 June 1950) is an Israeli politician and former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, who also served as Israel's Defense Minister under Benjamin Netanyahu from 2013 until his resignation ...
*
Government of Israel The Cabinet of Israel (; ) is the cabinet which exercises Executive (government), executive authority in the State of Israel. It consists of Minister (government), ministers who are chosen and led by the Prime Minister of Israel, prime ministe ...
– 29th Government of Israel


Events

* January 28 – Channel 10 begins broadcasting. * March 28 – 20,000 IDF reservists called up. * 25 May –
Sarit Hadad Sarit Hadad (, ; born September 20, 1978) is an Israeli singer. She was named by Channel 24 as the "best female singer of the 2000s" in October 2009. She represented Israel with the song " Light a Candle" at the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 in T ...
represents Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Nadlik Beyakhad Ner" ("We'll Light a Candle Together"). * May 28 – The Israeli
reconnaissance satellite A reconnaissance satellite or intelligence satellite (commonly, although unofficially, referred to as a spy satellite) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. The ...
Ofek-5 is launched. * April 1 – 20,000 Israeli army reservists mobilized. * July 9 –
Moshe Ya'alon Moshe "Bogie" Ya'alon (; born Moshe Smilansky; 24 June 1950) is an Israeli politician and former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, who also served as Israel's Defense Minister under Benjamin Netanyahu from 2013 until his resignation ...
is appointed as the 17th
Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
of the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
. * July 23 – The
Tal Law The Tal Committee was an Israeli public committee appointed on 22 August 1999 which dealt with the special exemption from mandatory military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) given to Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jews which had been the status ...
is passed in the
Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
by a majority of 51 against 41. The law gives legal status to the continuation of the exemption from mandatory military service granted to Israeli Ultra Orthodox Jews studying at a
yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...
. * August 28 – The government of Israel notified the United Nations Secretary General that it no longer intended to ratify the
Rome Statute The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome, Italy on 17 July 1998Michael P. Scharf (August 1998)''Results of the R ...
after signing it on December 31, 2000. * October 9 –
Daniel Kahneman Daniel Kahneman (; ; March 5, 1934 – March 27, 2024) was an Israeli-American psychologist best known for his work on the psychology of judgment and decision-making as well as behavioral economics, for which he was awarded the 2002 Nobel Memor ...
receives the
Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (), commonly referred to as the Nobel Prize in Economics(), is an award in the field of economic sciences adminis ...
for his work in
Prospect theory Prospect theory is a theory of behavioral economics, judgment and decision making that was developed by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky in 1979. The theory was cited in the decision to award Kahneman the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics. ...
, becoming the first Israeli Nobel laureate in economics. * November 28 –
2002 Mombasa attacks The 2002 Mombasa attacks were two coordinated terrorist attacks on 28 November 2002 in Mombasa, Kenya, against an Israeli-owned hotel and a plane belonging to Arkia Airlines. An all-terrain vehicle crashed through a barrier outside the Paradi ...
: Three Israelis and 10
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
ns are killed when a car bomb exploded in the lobby of the Israeli-owned beachfront Paradise Hotel, frequented almost exclusively by Israeli tourists near
Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
in
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
. 21 Israelis and 60 Kenyans are wounded in the attack. About 20 minutes earlier, an unsuccessful attempt is made to shoot down an
Arkia Israel Airlines Arkia (stylized as arkia), legally incorporated as Arkia Israeli Airlines Ltd, is an Israeli airline. Its head office is on the grounds of Sde Dov Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. It is Israel's second-largest airline, operating scheduled domestic a ...
Boeing 757 The Boeing 757 is an American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the trijet Boeing 727, 727, received its first orders in August 1978. The ...
chartered tourist plane taking off from nearby
Moi International Airport Moi International Airport is an international airport in Mombasa, the second-largest city in Kenya. In 2020, the airport was heralded as the "Best Airport in Africa" (with under 2 million passengers annually) by Airports Council International ...
using
surface-to-air missiles A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-a ...
; nobody is hurt on the plane, which lands safely in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
. The main suspect for both attacks is
al Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
.


Israeli–Palestinian conflict


(also see
Second Intifada The Second Intifada (; ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, was a major uprising by Palestinians against Israel and its Israeli-occupied territories, occupation from 2000. Starting as a civilian uprising in Jerusalem and October 2000 prot ...
) The most prominent events related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict which occurred during 2002 include: * February 19 –
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
used explosives to destroy the five-storey main building and transmission tower of the Palestine Broadcasting Center in
Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...
claiming retaliation for the killing of six people by a Palestinian gunman linked to Fatah. The Israeli Government later singled out PBC for broadcasting material deemed to be anti-Semitic or that incited violence against Israeli citizens during the
Second Intifada The Second Intifada (; ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, was a major uprising by Palestinians against Israel and its Israeli-occupied territories, occupation from 2000. Starting as a civilian uprising in Jerusalem and October 2000 prot ...
. * April – The Israeli government approved the construction of a continuous security barrier which would separate the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Israeli population centers, thus prevent the infiltration of Palestinian Arab terrorists, particularly suicide bombers into Israeli population centers. * August 14 – The Palestinian leader
Marwan Barghouti Marwan Barghouti (also transliterated al-Barghuthi; ; born 6 June 1959) is a Palestinian political leader who has served as an elected legislator and has been an advocate of a two-state solution prior to his imprisonment by Israel.Palestinian militant acts and operations committed against Israeli targets during 2002 include: * January 9 – Two
Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
militants from
Rafah Rafah ( ) is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and the capital of the Rafah Governorate. It is located south-west of Gaza City. In 2017, Rafah had a population of 171,889. Due to the Gaza war, about 1.4 million people from Gaza C ...
attack an IDF outpost near the
Kerem Shalom crossing Kerem Shalom border crossing (, "Vineyard of Peace"; , ''Karem Abu Salem'') is a border crossing at the junction of two border sections: one between the Gaza Strip and Israel, and one between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. It is used by trucks car ...
on the
Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Mandatory Palestine * Gaza Sub ...
- Egyptian border killing four IDF soldiers of a
Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...
unit before being killed themselves.Journal of Palestine Studies. XXXI, no. 3 (Spring 2002), University of California Press, pp. 172-194. * January 18 – An al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade (AMB) gunman opens fire killing six Israelis before being killed himself at a
Bat Mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age, they a ...
celebration in
Hadera Hadera (, ) is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel, in the northern Sharon plain, Sharon region, approximately 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along 7 km (5 mi) of ...
. * January 22 – AMB gunman kills two in West Jerusalem before being shot dead by police. * January 25 – 20 people are injured by a suicide bombing attack by Islamic Jihad (PIJ) near the
Old Tel Aviv Central Bus Station The Old Tel Aviv central bus station was the main bus station of Tel Aviv from 1941 until 1993. The station served intercity bus routes as well as local city and suburban buses. On August 18, 1993, Tel Aviv's New central bus station became the ci ...
. * January 27 – A suicide bombing attack kills an elderly Israeli and injures 7 people in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
. The attack marks the first time a
female suicide bomber Female suicide bombers are women who undertake suicide attacks, wherein the bomber kills herself while simultaneously killing targeted people. Suicide bombers are normally viewed as male political radicals but since the 1960s female suicide attac ...
is used.
Fatah Fatah ( ; ), formally the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (), is a Palestinian nationalist and Arab socialist political party. It is the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...
claims responsibility for the attack. Wafa Idriss had been working as a volunteer for the
Palestinian Red Crescent The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS; ) is the humanitarian organization that is the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in the State of Palestine, which includes the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. ...
. * January 30 – Attempting Palestinian suicide bomber Murad Abu al-Asal injures two
Shin Bet The Israel Security Agency (ISA; , (GSS); ), better known by the Hebrew acronyms, acronyms Shabak (; ; ) or Shin Bet (from the abbreviation of , "Security Service"), is Israel's internal Security agency, security service. Its motto is "''Magen ...
handlers in
Tayibe Tayibe, also spelled Taibeh or Tayiba, (, South Levantine pronunciation: ; ) is an Arab city in central Israel, north east of Kfar Saba.Two Hamas gunmen kill two soldiers and wound four outside an IDF base in
Beersheva Beersheba ( / ; ), officially Be'er-Sheva, is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the centre of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Israel, the List of cities ...
before being shot dead. * February 14 – The AMB and PFLP both claim responsibility for a roadside bomb in Gaza which destroys a
Merkava The Merkava (, , "chariot") is a series of main battle tanks used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) which are the backbone of the Armored Corps (Israel), IDF's Armored Corps. Current iterations of this tank are considered broadly equivalent t ...
tank and kills 3 soldiers. * February 16 – Two Israeli teenagers are killed in a suicide bombing at a
pizzeria A pizzeria is a restaurant focusing on pizza. A pizzeria may offer take-away, where the customer orders their food either in advance or at the restaurant and then takes the prepared food with them in a pizza box. A pizzeria may deliver food to ...
in the Israeli settlement of
Karnei Shomron Karnei Shomron (, lit. "Rays (of light) of Samaria") is an Israeli settlement organized as a local council established in 1977 in the West Bank, east of Kfar Saba. Karnei Shomron is located northeast of Tel Aviv and north of Jerusalem. In it ...
in the northern
West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
. Another Israeli teenage girl is wounded in the attack and dies 11 days later. The
PFLP The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP; ) is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist organization founded in 1967 by George Habash. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation ...
claims responsibility.Journal of Palestine Studies XXXI, no. 4 (Summer 2002), University of California Press, pp 199-221 * February 18 – One soldier killed in a suicide car bombing in
Ma'ale Adumim Ma'ale Adumim (; ) is an urban Israeli settlement organized as a city council in the West Bank, seven kilometers () east of Jerusalem. Ma'ale Adumim achieved city status in 1991. In 2015, its population was . It is located along Highway 1, whi ...
. * February 18 – An AMB suicide bombing attack kills three Jewish settlers in
Kissufim crossing Kissufim () is a kibbutz in the northwestern Negev desert in Israel. Located adjacent to the Gaza Strip at an altitude of 92 meters above sea level, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In it had a population of . Histo ...
-. * February 19 – AMB gunman kills six Israeli soldiers at an army outpost north of Jerusalem. The gunman escapes. * February 22 – An attempting suicide bomber is shot dead by patrons at a supermarket in
Efrat Efrat (Hebrew: אפרת) is a name with Hebrew origins that can also refer to: * Efrat (given name), Israeli given name * Efrat (surname), Israeli surname *Efrat (Israeli settlement) Efrat (), or previously officially Efrata (), is an Israeli s ...
. * February 27 – A female suicide bomber armed by AMB, injures three soldiers in
Maccabim Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut ( ''Mōdīʿīn-Makkabbīm-Rēʿūt'') is a city located in central Israel, about southeast of Tel Aviv and west of Jerusalem, and is connected to those two cities via Highway 443. In the population was . The populati ...
. * March 2 – 11 people, including five children, are killed in an AMB suicide bombing near a
yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...
in the ''
Haredi Haredi Judaism (, ) is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that is characterized by its strict interpretation of religious sources and its accepted (Jewish law) and traditions, in opposition to more accommodating values and practices. Its members are ...
''
Beit Yisrael Beit Yisrael () is a predominantly Haredi neighborhood in central Jerusalem. It is located just north of Mea Shearim. The name Beit Yisrael is taken from the verse in Ezekiel , in which Ezekiel prophesies to the hills and mountains of Israel, "I ...
neighborhood in the center of
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
. * March 3 – An AMB sniper kills seven soldiers and three settlers at a checkpoint near
Ofra Ofra () is an Israeli settlement located in the northern Israeli occupied territories, Israeli-occupied West Bank. Located on the main road between Jerusalem and Nablus (Route 60), it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Counc ...
. The gunman escapes. * March 4 – An AMB gunman kills three Israelis in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
before being shot dead. * March 5 – An 85-year-old Israeli is killed when in a suicide bombing attack on an Egged bus No. 823 as it enters the
Afula Afula () is a city in the Northern District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley" due to its strategic location in the Jezreel Valley. As of , the city had a population of . Afula's ancient tell (settlement mound) suggests habit ...
central bus station. * March 5 – Three Israeli civilians, including a Druze policeman and 35 injured at a Seafood Market restaurant on
Begin Road Begin Road is a major thoroughfare in Tel Aviv, Israel. It begins at Allenby Street and runs to its northern end which is at Arlozorov Interchange on Ayalon Highway. There is one interchange along Begin Road, Kaplan Interchange, located near ...
, Tel-Aviv, by
Tanzim ''Tanzim'' ( ', "The Organization") is a militant faction of the Palestinian Fatah movement. Led by Marwan Barghouti, who is serving life sentences for murder in Israel, it gained prominence during the Second Intifada. Tanzim operates at t ...
gunman Ibrahim Hasouna assisted by Mazen Mahmoud Omar Khadi and Marad Nazmi Aglon. * March 7 – Five Jewish settlers are killed and 23 are wounded by a Hamas gunman in Atzmona before being shot dead. A PFLP suicide bomber injures five settlers in
Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki *, a Russian film directed by Yevgeni Kotov * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', a 1989 and 1991 ...
. * March 9 – 11 Israelis killed and 54 injured in a Hamas suicide bombing attack on a cafe in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
. Two AMB gunmen kill two Israelis, plus one Israeli Arab, and wound 24, in
Netanya Netanya () () or Natanya (), is a city in the "Planet Bekasi" Central District (Israel), Setanyahu of Israel, Israel BAB ih, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between the Poleg stre ...
before being shot dead. * March 14 – The AMB and PFLP both claim responsibility for a roadside bomb in Gaza which destroys a
Merkava The Merkava (, , "chariot") is a series of main battle tanks used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) which are the backbone of the Armored Corps (Israel), IDF's Armored Corps. Current iterations of this tank are considered broadly equivalent t ...
tank and kills 3 soldiers. * March 17 – A PIJ suicide bombing attack on Egged bus No. 22 in French Hill injures 9. * March 20 – Seven Israelis, four soldiers and three civilians, killed in a PIJ suicide bombing attack on an Egged bus No. 823 traveling from
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
to
Nazareth Nazareth is the largest Cities in Israel, city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In its population was . Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and ...
. * March 21 – Three Israelis are killed and 86 others are injured in an AMB suicide bombing attack, King George Street shoppers in the center of
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
. The bomber used metal spikes and nails. * March 27 – 30 people killed and at least 140 civilians injured in a Hamas suicide bombing attack on the dining room of the Park Hotel in
Netanya Netanya () () or Natanya (), is a city in the "Planet Bekasi" Central District (Israel), Setanyahu of Israel, Israel BAB ih, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between the Poleg stre ...
, during the festive dinner for
Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt. According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...
arranged by the hotel for 250 guests, and detonates an explosive device. * March 28 – Hamas suicide bomber kills four Jewish settlers at
Elon Moreh Elon Moreh () is an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located northeast of the State of Palestine, Palestinian city of Nablus, on the slopes of the Mount Kabir ridge, it falls under the jurisdiction of Shomr ...
. * March 29 – Two people and 29 injured killed by an 18-year-old Palestinian female suicide bomber attacks the entrance of the Shufersal
supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...
in
Kiryat HaYovel Kiryat HaYovel () is a neighborhood in southwestern Jerusalem on Mount Herzl. It was built in the early 1950s to house Jewish immigrants and refugees who fled the Arab world. Today, Kiryat HaYovel has a population of 25,000 residents. Kiryat Ha ...
. * March 29 – Gunman enters and kills two Jewish settlers in
Netzarim Netzarim () was an Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip about 5 kilometers southwest of Gaza City. It was established in 1972. In August 2005, the inhabitants of Netzarim were evicted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as part of Israel's uni ...
settlement. * March 30 – Allenby Street coffee shop bombing 32 people injured in an AMB suicide bombing attack on a Tel Aviv café. President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
and Secretary of State
Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; – ) was an Americans, American diplomat, and army officer who was the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American to hold the office. He was the 15th National Security ...
(USA) call on
Yasir Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, President of the Stat ...
to condemn the wave of suicide bombings in Arabic, to his own people. Israeli spokespeople make similar demands. Arafat goes on television and swears in Arabic that he will "die a martyr, a martyr, a martyr". Members of AMB state that they will refuse any form of cease-fire, and that they will continue suicide bombings of civilians in Israel. * March 31 – Matza restaurant suicide bombing: 15 killed (including two whole families) and injuring over 40 people when a
Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
bomber attacks an Arab-owned restaurant in
Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...
. * March 31 – An MDA paramedic and four Jewish settlers injured in a suicide bombing attack at the Efrat Medical Center of
Efrat Efrat (Hebrew: אפרת) is a name with Hebrew origins that can also refer to: * Efrat (given name), Israeli given name * Efrat (surname), Israeli surname *Efrat (Israeli settlement) Efrat (), or previously officially Efrata (), is an Israeli s ...
in
Gush Etzion Gush Etzion (, ' Etzion Bloc) is a cluster of Israeli settlements located in the Judaean Mountains, directly south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the West Bank. The core group includes four Jewish agricultural villages that were founded in 1943 ...
. * April 1 – A 19-year-old Israeli police volunteer is killed by a Palestinian Arab suicide bombing attack in the city center of
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
at a roadblock.
Fatah Fatah ( ; ), formally the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (), is a Palestinian nationalist and Arab socialist political party. It is the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...
and the
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades () are a Fatah-aligned coalition of Palestinian armed groups in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Created in 2000 amidst the Second Intifada, the Brigades previously operated as the official armed wing of the F ...
claim responsibility for the attack. * April 1 – Eleven Palestinian collaborators taken from
Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...
prisons are killed. * April 9 – Thirteen Israeli soldiers are killed in the
Jenin Jenin ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and is the capital of the Jenin Governorate. It is a hub for the surrounding towns. Jenin came under Israeli occupied territories, Israeli occupation in 1967, and was put under the administra ...
refugee camp when a Palestinian militant detonates their occupying house. * April 10 – Eight Israelis, four soldiers and four civilians, are killed and 22 injured in a Hamas suicide bombing on an Egged bus No. 960, en route from
Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...
to Jerusalem, which exploded near Kibbutz
Yagur Yagur () is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located on the northeastern slopes of Mount Carmel, about 9 km southeast of Haifa, it falls under the jurisdiction of Zevulun Regional Council. In it had a population of , making it one of the two ...
, east of Haifa. * April 12 – Mahane Yehuda Market bombing: A Palestinian Arab female suicide bomber attacks the entrance to Mahane Yehuda in Jerusalem, killing seven Israelis and injuring 104. The
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades () are a Fatah-aligned coalition of Palestinian armed groups in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Created in 2000 amidst the Second Intifada, the Brigades previously operated as the official armed wing of the F ...
claims responsibility for the attack. * April 27 – Two Hamas fighters in Israeli army uniform kill five Jewish settlers in Adora. One of the attackers escapes. * May 7 – Rishon LeZion bombing: A Palestinian Arab
suicide bomber A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...
kills 15 and wounds 58 in a billiards hall that accommodated an illegal gambling club in
Rishon LeZion Rishon LeZion ( , "First to Zion") is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. Founded in 1882 by Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who were ...
. Hamas' military wing claims responsibility. The political wing does not confirm. * May 8 – A Palestinian Arab
suicide bomber A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...
severely injured in a premature attack near
Megiddo Megiddo may refer to: Places and sites in Israel * Tel Megiddo, site of an ancient city in Israel's Jezreel valley * Megiddo Airport, a domestic airport in Israel * Megiddo church (Israel) * Megiddo, Israel, a kibbutz in Israel * Megiddo Juncti ...
, southeast of
Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...
. * May 19 – A
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP; ) is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist organization founded in 1967 by George Habash. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation ...
(PFLP) suicide bomber, disguised as an Israeli soldier, kills two Israelis and injures more than 50 in
Netanya Netanya () () or Natanya (), is a city in the "Planet Bekasi" Central District (Israel), Setanyahu of Israel, Israel BAB ih, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between the Poleg stre ...
. * May 20 –
Afula Afula () is a city in the Northern District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley" due to its strategic location in the Jezreel Valley. As of , the city had a population of . Afula's ancient tell (settlement mound) suggests habit ...
road bombing. One Israeli patrol-man injured. * May 22 – Rothschild Street bombing: Two Israelis (one of them a teenager) are killed in an AMB suicide bombing in Rothschild Street in the center of
Rishon LeZion Rishon LeZion ( , "First to Zion") is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. Founded in 1882 by Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who were ...
. * May 23 – A Palestinian detonates an IED on the underside of an oil tanker truck at Pi Glilot fuel storage facility station, injuring no one with authorities estimating that the chain reaction explosions would have killed at least 10,000 in the area. * May 24 – Studio 49 Disco bombing. An AMB suicide car bomb injures three. * May 27 – Petah Tikva Mall bombing: An Israeli woman and her 14 month old granddaughter, are killed and 37 injured when an AMB suicide bomber detonated himself near an
ice cream parlor Ice cream parlors (American English) or ice cream parlours (British English) are parlor that sell ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and/or frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is typically sold as regular ice cream (also called hard-packed or hard- ...
outside a shopping mall in
Petah Tikva Petah Tikva (, ), also spelt Petah Tiqwa and known informally as Em HaMoshavot (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of the Old Y ...
. The attacker was cousin of Nablus AMB commander assassinated May 22. * May 28 – Itamar. Palestinian gunman kills three Jewish settlers before being shot dead. * June 5 – 17 Israelis, fourteen soldiers and three civilians, are killed in a car bomb attack on an Egged bus No. 830 en route from
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
to
Tiberias Tiberias ( ; , ; ) is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Heb ...
at the
Megiddo junction The Megiddo Junction () is an intersection of Highways 65 and 66 in northern Israel, at the exit from the mountain pass coming up through Wadi Ara into the Jezreel Valley. It is named for the nearby ruins of the biblical city of Megiddo, als ...
near
Afula Afula () is a city in the Northern District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley" due to its strategic location in the Jezreel Valley. As of , the city had a population of . Afula's ancient tell (settlement mound) suggests habit ...
of the gasoline tank side of the bus causing incineration. Most of the casualties are IDF soldiers who are on their way to their bases. PIJ claims responsibility for the attack. * June 7 – In Karmei Tsur,
Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...
, two PFLP gunmen kill three Jewish settlers. One attacker is shot dead, the other escapes. * June 11 – A 14-year-old Israeli girl killed and 15 injured in a suicide bombing attack on the Jamil (Mifgash Ha'Sharon) restaurant in the Israeli coastal suburb of
Herzliya Herzliya ( ; , / ) is an affluent List of Israeli cities, city in the Israeli coastal plain, central coast of Israel, at the northern part of the Tel Aviv District, known for its robust start-up and entrepreneurial culture. In it had a populatio ...
."PA town square memorial honors suicide terrorist and his attack as 'heroic,'"
Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook, August 19, 2020, Palestine Media Watch. * June 18 – Nineteen Israelis are killed, including one Arab, and over 74 injured when a Hamas Islamic law student suicide bomber attacks an Egged bus No. 32A in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
. The student used an explosive belt filled with metal balls for shrapnel. * June 19 – Seven Israelis, including a five-year-old girl and her grandmother, are killed when a suicide bomber attacks a crowded bus stop and hitchhiking post at the French Hill intersection in northern
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
. * June 20 – In the Israeli settlement of Itamar, West Bank, Two Palestinian gunmen break into the Shabo family residence and kill a mother and her three sons, and injure two children also kill the Israeli rescue commander and injure eight Israeli commandos in the storming of the house. * July 16 – Immanuel bus attack: Nine Israelis, including an infant child, are killed in an attack on
Dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa ** Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivo ...
bus No. 189 traveling from
Bnei Brak Bnei Brak ( ) or Bene Beraq, is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1,752 acre ...
to
Emmanuel Immanuel or Emmanuel (, "God swith us"; Koine Greek: ) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the House of David. The Gospel of Matthew ( Matthew 1:22 –23) interprets this as a prophecy of ...
in the northern
West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
. Two 20-kilo bombs are set off about 200 meters from the town's entrance, damaging the bus's front tires and forcing it off the road. The explosion damage the bus doors, trapping the passengers inside. The militants then started shooting at the bus, firing through the unprotected roof and throwing grenades through the narrow upper windows, which were not armored. AMB and PFLP claim responsibility. * July 17 – Neve Shaanan Street bombing: Five people, two Israelis and two foreign workers, are killed and about 40 others are wounded in a double IJ suicide bombing on Neve Sha'anan Street near the
Old Tel Aviv Central Bus Station The Old Tel Aviv central bus station was the main bus station of Tel Aviv from 1941 until 1993. The station served intercity bus routes as well as local city and suburban buses. On August 18, 1993, Tel Aviv's New central bus station became the ci ...
. * July 26 – Four Jewish settlers killed when AMB gunmen fire on two vehicles near Hebron. * July 30 – Nevi'im Street bombing. Five wounded. * July 31 – Hebrew University massacre: Nine Jewish students (four Israeli, four American, one dual French/American) and 85 injured by a
Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
bombing in the cafeteria of
Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...
. Palestinian Arabs rally in
Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Mandatory Palestine * Gaza Sub ...
waving Hamas flags to celebrate the attack. On August 17, Israeli Security Forces expose a terrorist cell of Hamas operatives in East
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
that had been responsible for the attack. The members had been planning another attack at the time of their arrest. * August 4 –
Meron Junction Bus 361 attack Meron may refer to: People * Meron (surname), including a list of people with the name * Meron Amanuel (born 1990), Eritrean cyclist * Meron Benvenisti (born 1934), Israeli political scientist * Meron Getnet (fl. from 2013), Ethiopian actress, jou ...
: Nine people, three Israeli soldiers, two Israeli civilians, two Israeli Arabs and two Philippine workers killed and forty mostly soldiers are injured in a Hamas suicide bombing on an Egged bus No. 361 traveling from
Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...
to
Safed Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. Safed has been identified with (), a fortif ...
at the Meron junction in northern Israel. * August 5 –
Umm al-Fahm Umm al-Fahm ( , ''Umm al-Faḥm''; ''Um el-Faḥem'') is a city located northwest of Jenin in the Haifa District of Israel. In its population was , nearly all of whom are Palestinian citizens of Israel. The city is situated on the Umm al-Fahm ...
junction bombing. Bomber killed, his accomplice injured. No other casualties. * September 5 – Gaza Strip. Two Israeli soldiers killed by a bomb under their Merkava tank. * September 18 – An Israeli policeman is killed and three others are wounded in a PIJ suicide bombing at a bus stop at the
Umm al-Fahm Umm al-Fahm ( , ''Umm al-Faḥm''; ''Um el-Faḥem'') is a city located northwest of Jenin in the Haifa District of Israel. In its population was , nearly all of whom are Palestinian citizens of Israel. The city is situated on the Umm al-Fahm ...
junction. * September 19 –
Allenby Street bus bombing 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 c ...
: A Hamas
suicide bomber A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...
kills five Israelis and wounds more than 50 on a bus next to
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
's Great Synagogue. * October 10 – A Hamas
suicide bomber A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...
kills a 71-year-old Israeli woman and injures several other at a bus stop at
Bar Ilan Bar-Ilan University (BIU, , ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic university institution. It has 20,000 s ...
Junction. * October 11 – U.S. embassy guards in Tel Aviv, thwart a Palestinian Arab suicide bomber from attacking a crowded beachfront cafe. * October 21 –
Karkur junction suicide bombing Pardes Hanna-Karkur () is a town in the Haifa District of Israel. In it had a population of . It has been characterized as having a hipster culture. History An Arab village named Karkur had stood at this location by the time the Palestine Exp ...
: A suicide attack carried out by two members of the PIJ in the Israeli urban area of
Wadi Ara Wadi Ara (, ) or Nahal 'Iron (), is a valley and its surrounding area in Israel populated mainly by Arab citizens of Israel, Arab Israelis. The area is also known as the "Triangle (Israel), Northern Triangle". Wadi Ara is located northwest of t ...
. 14 Israelis are killed in the attack and 40 are wounded. * October 27 – Three Israeli soldiers are killed and 20 people injured in a Hamas suicide bombing at a gas station at the entrance to
Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki *, a Russian film directed by Yevgeni Kotov * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', a 1989 and 1991 ...
in the northern
West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
. The soldiers were restraining the bomber his vest was detonated by two settlers who shot him. * November 4 – Kfar Saba shopping mall bombing: Two Israelis, a security guard and a civilian, are killed by a PIJ suicide bomber whom detonates himself at a
Kfar Saba Kfar Saba ( ), officially Kfar Sava , is a List of Israeli cities, city in the Sharon plain, Sharon region, of the Central District (Israel), Central District of State of Israel, Israel. In 2019 it had a population of 110,456, making it the 16th-l ...
shopping mall. * November 10 – AMB gunmen kills five Israelis in a kibbutz, north Israel. The gunman escapes. * November 15 – Hebron ambush: Palestinian gunmen from PIJ ambush a detail of soldiers, border police and settler security officials close to the Ibrahim Mosque in
Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...
. Three of the gunmen and 12 Israelis (4 soldiers, 5 border police, 3 settler guards) are killed, including Colonel Dror Weinberg, the Israeli army commander of Hebron. * November 21 –
Kiryat Menachem bus bombing A Palestinian suicide bombing occurred on November 21, 2002 in a public bus in the neighborhood of Kiryat Menachem in Jerusalem. 11 people were murdered in the attack and over 50 were injured. The Palestinian Islamist militant organization Ha ...
: Eleven people killed and 50 injured by a Hamas-affiliated suicide bomber attacking Egged bus No. 20 in Jerusalem, . * November 22 – Two PIJ suicide bombers injure four Israeli soldiers in a patrol boat, Gaza. * November 27 – Gaza: PFLP suicide bomber. No Israelis injured. * November 28 – Beit She'an attack: Six Israelis are killed when two AMB gunmen open fire and throw grenades at the
Likud Likud (, ), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement (), is a major Right-wing politics, right-wing, political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon in an alliance with several right-wing par ...
polling station in
Bet She'an Beit She'an ( '), also known as Beisan ( '), or Beth-shean, is a town in the Northern District of Israel. The town lies at the Beit She'an Valley about 120 m (394 feet) below sea level. Beit She'an is believed to be one of the oldest citie ...
, where party members are casting their votes in the Likud primary. * December 27 – Two PIJ gunmen enter
Otniel Otniel () is an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located in the southern Judaean Mountains, south of Hebron, it falls under the jurisdiction of Har Hevron Regional Council. In , it had a population of . Otniel is n ...
settlement killing two Jewish settlers and two Israeli soldiers.


Israeli military operations against Palestinian militancy targets

The most prominent Israeli military
counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to co ...
operations (
military campaign A military campaign is large-scale long-duration significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of interrelated military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war. The term derives from th ...
s and
military operations A military operation (op) is the coordinated military actions of a state, or a non-state actor, in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state or actor's favor. Operatio ...
) carried out against
Palestinian militants Palestinian political violence refers to acts of violence or terrorism committed by Palestinians with the intent to accomplish political goals in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Common objectives of political violence by Pal ...
during 2002 include: * January 2 –
Karine A Affair The ''Karine A'' affair, also known as Operation "Noah's Ark" (), was an Israeli military action in January 2002 in which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) forces seized MV ''Karine A'', which, according to the IDF, was a Palestinian freig ...
: IDF
Shayetet 13 Shayetet 13 () is a naval commando unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary sayeret, reconnaissance units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence ...
naval commando captures the
Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...
owned freighter "Karin A" in the
Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...
, which was on its way to the shores of the
Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...
. The vessel is found to be carrying 50 tons of weapons from
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
believed to be intended for Palestinian militants' use against Israelis. The weapons found on the ship include short-range
Katyusha rockets The Katyusha ( rus, Катю́ша, p=kɐˈtʲuʂə, a=Ru-Катюша.ogg) is a type of rocket artillery first built and fielded by the Soviet Union in World War II. Multiple rocket launchers such as these deliver explosives to a target area m ...
,
antitank Anti-tank warfare refers to the military strategies, tactics, and weapon systems designed to counter and destroy enemy armored vehicles, particularly tanks. It originated during World War I following the first deployment of tanks in 1916, and ...
missiles and high explosives. * January 12 – The Israeli army assassinates
al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades () are a Fatah-aligned coalition of Palestinian armed groups in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Created in 2000 amidst the Second Intifada, the Brigades previously operated as the official armed wing of the Fa ...
member Ra'id Karmi in
Tulkarm Tulkarm or Tulkarem (, ''Ṭūlkarm'') is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the West Bank, the capital of the Tulkarm Governorate of the State of Palestine. The Israeli city of Netanya is to the west, and the Palestinian territories, Palestinia ...
. * January 22 – The Israeli army kills
West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
leader of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigade (IQB), Yusaf Suragji, with three other
Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
members in
Nablus Nablus ( ; , ) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 156,906. Located between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a ...
. * January 22 – The Israeli army fire missiles at a car in
Khan Yunis Khan Yunis (), also spelled Khan Younis or Khan Yunus, is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and serves as the capital of the Khan Yunis Governorate. It has been largely destroyed during the Gaza war. Before the 14th century, Khan Y ...
executing senior Hamas member Adil Hamdan (Bakr Hamdan). Another six Palestinians are killed in other incidents. * February 1 – The Israeli army demolish the Palestine Broadcasting Center in
Gaza City Gaza City, also called Gaza, is a city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, and the capital of the Gaza Governorate. Located on the Mediterranean coast, southwest of Jerusalem, it was home to Port of Gaza, Palestine's only port. With a population of ...
. Six Palestinians are killed in Brazil Refugee Camp. * February 4 – The Israeli army fires missiles at a car near
Rafah Rafah ( ) is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and the capital of the Rafah Governorate. It is located south-west of Gaza City. In 2017, Rafah had a population of 171,889. Due to the Gaza war, about 1.4 million people from Gaza C ...
, killing five members of the
PFLP The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP; ) is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist organization founded in 1967 by George Habash. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation ...
including wanted man Ayman Bihdari. * February 16 – In
Jenin Jenin ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and is the capital of the Jenin Governorate. It is a hub for the surrounding towns. Jenin came under Israeli occupied territories, Israeli occupation in 1967, and was put under the administra ...
, the Israeli army use a remote-controlled bomb to execute Nazih al-Siba', a local Hamas leader. * February 19 – The Israeli navy fire a missile into
Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...
's compound in Gaza City killing 4 members of
Force 17 Force 17 () was a commando and special operations unit of the Palestinian Fatah movement and later of the Office of the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority. It was formed in the early 1970s by Ali Hassan Salameh (Abu Hassan). Initially, the ...
. Later in the day the army fire 18 shells into the compound killing 5
Preventive Security Force The Palestinian Preventive Security (PPS; ), also known as Preventive Security Force (PSF; ) or Preventive Security Service (PSS), is one of the security organs of the State of Palestine. It was established in 1994 by president Yasser Arafat i ...
(PSF) officers. * February 20 – An Israeli army incursion into
Nablus Nablus ( ; , ) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 156,906. Located between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a ...
kills nine Palestinians. A further seven Palestinians are killed in other incidents. * February 28 – Operation Colorful Journey. The Israeli army attacks
Balata refugee camp Balata Camp () is a Palestinian refugee camp established in the northern West Bank in 1950, adjacent to Balata village on the outskirts of the city of Nablus. Balata Camp had a population of 14,635 in 2017. History In 1950, the UN gave the refug ...
and
Jenin Jenin ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and is the capital of the Jenin Governorate. It is a hub for the surrounding towns. Jenin came under Israeli occupied territories, Israeli occupation in 1967, and was put under the administra ...
. At least eleven Palestinians are killed, including Balata AMB leader Kayid Abu Mustafa and six PSF officers. * March 4 – In an apparent attempt to execute Hamas politician, Hussein Abu Kuwayk, the Israeli army fires rockets at a truck in
Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...
killing his wife and 3 children as well as two bystanders. * March 5 – Israeli helicopters fire a missile at a car in
Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...
killing three, including AMB members Muhannad Abu Halawa and Fawzi Murrar. * March 6 – Thirteen Palestinians are killed in various incidents. Those killed included senior Hamas member 'Abd al-Nassar Ghazal. * March 7 – Sixteen Palestinians are killed in various incidents, including two ambulance workers. * March 8 – In Khuza'a, Khan Yunis, the Israeli army execute 16 Palestinians including PSF regional commander Major General Ahmad Mifraj. A further 24 Palestinians are killed in other incidents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The highest single-day death toll since the al-Aqsa intifada began. * March 11 – An Israeli army raid into the Jabaliya refugee camp kills 18 Palestinians. A further six Palestinians are killed in Gaza. * March 12 – Thirty Palestinians killed by 20,000 Israeli soldiers with 150 tanks attacking the Al-Amari refugee camp of Ramallah and al-Bireh. * March 14 – Six Palestinians killed in Tulkarm including senior AMB member Mutasim Makhluf. * ''
Operation Defensive Shield 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 territory since the 1967 Arab–Israe ...
'' (March 29 – May 3, 2002) – Large-scale
counter-terrorist Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to com ...
operation conducted by the IDF into Palestinian towns and villages in the
West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
aimed to halt Palestinian
suicide bombings A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...
against civilians in Israel during the
Second Intifada The Second Intifada (; ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, was a major uprising by Palestinians against Israel and its Israeli-occupied territories, occupation from 2000. Starting as a civilian uprising in Jerusalem and October 2000 prot ...
, which results in extensive damage to terrorist infrastructure and an important decrease of Palestinian attacks. ** '' Battle of Jenin'' (April 1–11) – Israel attacked Palestinian militants in the city of
Jenin Jenin ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and is the capital of the Jenin Governorate. It is a hub for the surrounding towns. Jenin came under Israeli occupied territories, Israeli occupation in 1967, and was put under the administra ...
. ** '' Battle of Bethlehem'' (April 2 – May 10) – Israel occupied Bethlehem and tried to capture wanted Palestinian militants who were hiding in the Church of the Nativity. ** ''
Battle of Nablus The Battle of Nablus was fought from April 5 to April 8, 2002, in the Palestinian city of Nablus in the West Bank between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Palestinian forces, as part of Operation Defensive Shield in the Second Intifada. I ...
'' (April 3–8) – Israel attacked Palestinian militants in the city of
Nablus Nablus ( ; , ) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 156,906. Located between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a ...
. * April 3 – Israeli army execute six Palestinians in Jenin. One Israeli reservist killed. * April 5 – IQB regional commander, Qays Udwan, and five other Hamas members, are killed by the Israeli army in
Tubas Tubas is the plural of tuba. It can also refer to: * Tubas (city) in Palestine * Tubas Governorate in Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, ...
. Twelve Palestinians are killed in Nablus when the Israeli army destroy large sections of the eastern market area. * April 6 – At least fifty Palestinians and five Israeli soldiers are killed as Operation Defensive Shield continues. * April 7 – In Nablus, at least 14 Palestinians are killed by the Israeli army. * April 7 – Ansar III prison camp for Palestinian detainees is re-opened. * April 8 – Thirty Palestinians killed by Israeli army in the Jenin refugee camp. Two Israeli soldiers are killed. * April 10 – The Israeli army kill eleven Palestinian in Nablus old city. * April 15 – Palestinian political figure
Marwan Barghouti Marwan Barghouti (also transliterated al-Barghuthi; ; born 6 June 1959) is a Palestinian political leader who has served as an elected legislator and has been an advocate of a two-state solution prior to his imprisonment by Israel.Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
in
Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...
administered city of
Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...
. * April 22 – Israeli army in Hebron assassinate senior AMB member Marwan Zallum. * April 24 – Senior AMB member Yacub Sarayra is assassinated in
Bani Na'im Bani Na'im () is a town in the southern West Bank located east of Hebron in the Hebron Governorate of Palestine. It is situated at a higher elevation than most localities in the area, with an altitude of . The town is best known as the burial ...
. A second Palestinian is also killed. * April 26 – Local
Qalqilya Qalqilya or Qalqiliya () is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, which serves as the administrative center of the Qalqilya Governorate. The city had a population of 51,683 in 2017. Qalqilya is surrounded by the Israeli West Bank barrier, Israeli We ...
PFLP leader, Ra'id Nazil is killed in an Israeli army raid. * April 28 – Two Jewish settlers are arrested attempting to place a bomb at the Maqasid Hospital, Jerusalem. * April 29 – The Israeli army launch a major pre-dawn incursion into
Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...
. Ten Palestinians are killed, including wanted Hamas member, Tarik al-Dufashi. * May 1 – Six Palestinians trapped in
Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...
's compound in Ramallah, who were wanted by the Israelis, surrender themselves into British/US custody. * May 3 – Israeli army raid Nablus house and kill senior Hamas member, Ali Hudairi, and four others. One Israeli soldier is killed. * May 14 – Israeli army assassinates two Palestinian intelligence officers,
Halhul Halhul (, transliteration: ''Ḥalḥūl'') is a Palestinian city located in the southern part of the West Bank, north of Hebron in the Hebron Governorate of Palestine. The town, bordered by Sa'ir and al-Shuyukh to the east, Beit Ummar and ...
. * May 16 – In
Beitunia Beitunia (), also Bitunya, is a Palestinian city located west of Ramallah and north of Jerusalem, in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate of Palestine, in the central West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the ci ...
, the Israeli army assassinates wanted PSF officer Ahmad Ghanem.Journal of Palestine Studies XXXII no. 1 (Autumn 2002), pp 172-193. online: . * May 22 – In the Balata refugee camp, Israeli army fire rockets, assassinating AMB Nablus commander Mahmud Titi. Two other AMB members and a bystander are also killed. IJ member, Khalid Zakami, is killed in an unexplained explosion, Jenin. * June 12 – The Israeli army kill eight Palestinians in Gaza. * June 17 – Israeli army assassinate local al Khadir AMB leader, Walid Sbeh. * June 18 – Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Student leader, Yusif Bisharat, is assassinated by the Israeli army in Hebron. * June 19 – Israeli army starts barring all Palestinians with West Bank ID cards from entering Jerusalem. * June 22 –
Operation Determined Path Operation "Determined Path" () was a military operation carried out by the Israel Defense Forces, starting June 22, 2002, following Operation "Defensive Shield", with the goal of reaching some of the unreached objectives set forth for Defensive ...
begins. * June 24 – Israeli army assassinate two IQB leaders, Yasir Raziq and 'Amr Kufa. The two drivers of the cars destroyed in the missile attack, as well as a further two passengers, are also killed. Thirteen bystanders are injured. * June 24 – US halt all direct dealing with
Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...
for allegedly funding June 19, French Hill, suicide attack. * June 30 – In Nablus, senior AMB member, Muhammad Tahir , is assassinated by the Israeli army with a member of Hamas is also killed. * July 4 – Senior AMB members, Jihad al-Omarayn and Wa'il al-Nimral are killed by a bomb in their car. Presumed to be an Israeli assassination. * July 9 – Near Jenin, PIJ member, Mu'ammar Daraghma, is fatally shot by Israeli soldiers while driving in a presumed assassination. * July 22 – An Israeli warplane fires a one-ton bomb at an apartment in a densely populated neighborhood of Gaza City, killing
Salah Shehade Salah Mustafa Muhammad Shehade (or Shehadeh, Shahadeh; ; 24 February 1953 – 22 July 2002) was a member of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. He led the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades military wing of Hamas, until his assassination by Isr ...
, top commander of Hamas's military wing (the
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades Al-Qassam Brigades, also known as the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (EQB; ), are the military wing of the Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist organization Hamas. Led by Mohammed Deif until his death on 13 July 2024, Al-Qassam Brigades ar ...
), who headed Israel's most wanted list and whom Israel accuses of masterminding several terror attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians in the
Gaza strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...
and in Israel proper during the
Al-Aqsa Intifada The Second Intifada (; ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, was a major uprising by Palestinians against Israel and its occupation from 2000. Starting as a civilian uprising in Jerusalem and Israel proper, Israeli security responded wit ...
. The apartment building is flattened and 14 civilians are killed, including Shehade's wife and nine children. The attack occurred hours after AMB,
Tanzim ''Tanzim'' ( ', "The Organization") is a militant faction of the Palestinian Fatah movement. Led by Marwan Barghouti, who is serving life sentences for murder in Israel, it gained prominence during the Second Intifada. Tanzim operates at t ...
, Hamas, and IJ had agreed to declare a unilateral cease-fire. * July 28 – Curfew in Nablus lifted for the fifth time in forty days. * August 2 – In
Salim, Nablus Salim () is a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank, located six kilometers east of Nablus and is a part of the Nablus Governorate. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Salim had a population of 6,266 inhabitants ...
, Israeli army execute Hamas member, Amjad Jabour, outside his home. * August 5 – In
Burqa, Nablus Burqa () is a village in the Nablus Governorate in the northern West Bank, Palestine, located northwest of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the village had a population of 4,030 inhabitants in mid-year 20 ...
, Israeli forces assassinate AMB member, Khalid Sayf. A Palestinian bystander is also killed. * August 6 – In Jenin, AMB members Ali Ajuri and Murad Marshud, assassinated by air to surface missile. * August 7 – Israeli army commandos assassinate Tulkarm local AMB commander, Ziad Da'as. Two Palestinian bystanders also killed. * August 7 – In Khan Yunis, an Israeli army sniper assassinates Hamas member Hussam Hamdan, son of top Hamas political leader Ahmad Nimr. * August 12 – In Yamun, Jenin, Israeli soldiers take AMB member Ghazal Frayhat into custody before fatally shooting him. * August 14 – In
Tubas Tubas is the plural of tuba. It can also refer to: * Tubas (city) in Palestine * Tubas Governorate in Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, ...
, Israeli army fire rockets into a house assassinating senior Hamas member Nasir Jarrar. The victim was reliant on a wheelchair having lost one arm and both legs in previous Israeli attempts to kill him. * August 19 – Israeli army hands control of
Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...
back to the PSF.Journal of Palestine Studies XXXII no.2 (Winter 2003) pp 172-194. . online: . * August 20 – In Ramallah, Israeli commandos assassinate senior PFLP member Muhammad Saadat, brother of the head of the PFLP, Ahmad Saadat. * August 20 – In Tulkarm, Israeli army assassinates
Tanzim ''Tanzim'' ( ', "The Organization") is a militant faction of the Palestinian Fatah movement. Led by Marwan Barghouti, who is serving life sentences for murder in Israel, it gained prominence during the Second Intifada. Tanzim operates at t ...
member, Afsam Salim. * August 23 – In Jenin, Israeli army assassinate AMB Jenin commander Muhammad al-Ott, in a firefight. * August 31 – In
Tubas Tubas is the plural of tuba. It can also refer to: * Tubas (city) in Palestine * Tubas Governorate in Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, ...
, Israeli army fire four missiles at a car in an attempt to assassinate local AMB leader, Jihad Sawafta and kills one AMB member, Rafat Daraghma and two teenagers in the car. One missile strikes a house killing two children. * September 1 – In Hebron, Israeli army shoot dead four unarmed Palestinians. * September 10 – Israeli army raid kills wanted Palestinian Mahmud Harfush. * September 13 – In Gaza, unexplained explosion kills three Palestinians including wanted
Fatah Fatah ( ; ), formally the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (), is a Palestinian nationalist and Arab socialist political party. It is the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...
member Iyad Sharif. * September 19 – Operation Matter of Time to isolate
Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...
. * September 24 – 90 Israeli tanks with bulldozers and helicopters move into Gaza City and Bayt Lahia. Nine Palestinians are killed, including local AMB leader Muhammad Kishku and senior IQB member Yasin Nassar. * September 26 – Israeli army fire two missiles at two carts in an attempt to assassinate most wanted member of IQB, Muhammad Dayif. Two Hamas members killed and thirty bystanders injured. * September 26 – In Tulkarm, Israeli army assassinate senior Hamas member Nashat Abu Jabara and demolish his home. One Israeli soldier killed. * September 27 – Near Hebron. Israeli army assassinate wanted Palestinian Muhammad Yaghmur. * September 29 – Israeli army end siege of
Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...
's compound in Ramallah. * October 6 – PIJ member Samir Nursi assassinated in Jenin refugee camp following exchange of fire with Israeli soldiers. * October 7 – Israeli army sends 40 tanks with helicopters into Khan Yunis. Fourteen Palestinians killed. * October 12 – AMB member Muhammad Ubayyat assassinated by exploding phone, in what is believed to have been an Israeli attempt to assassinate his brother,
Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...
tanzim commander Nassir Ubayyat. * October 14 – In Nablus, Two PIJ members, Wassim Saba'na and Muhammad Musa, assassinated. * October 17 – Israeli army shells residential area of Rafah. Six Palestinians killed, including two women, two teenagers and a nine-year-old. * October 25 – Hundreds of Israeli soldiers, backed by scores of tanks and other military vehicles, take control of the
Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...
administered city of
Jenin Jenin ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and is the capital of the Jenin Governorate. It is a hub for the surrounding towns. Jenin came under Israeli occupied territories, Israeli occupation in 1967, and was put under the administra ...
in response to a
suicide bombing A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...
that killed 14 people. * October 29 – In
Tubas Tubas is the plural of tuba. It can also refer to: * Tubas (city) in Palestine * Tubas Governorate in Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, ...
, Israeli army undercover unit assassinate senior Hamas member Asim Sawafta. * October 30 – In Nablus, Israeli commandos assassinate PA intelligence officer, Ajid Mansur. * October 31 – In Jenin, Operation Vanguard. Ends November 10. * October 32 – Three Hamas members assassinated in an explosion. Hamas spokesman,
Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi (; 23 October 1947 – 17 April 2004) was a Palestinian political leader and co-founder of Hamas, along with Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 1987. He also served as the chairman of the Hamas Shura Council from March 2004 until ...
acknowledges that they were probably preparing a bomb. * November 4 – In Nablus, Israeli army fire missile at a car assassinating wanted Hamas member Hamid Sidr. Another Hamas member, Firas Abu Ghazala is also assassinated. * November 9 – In Jenin, Israeli army assassinates PIJ leader Iyad Sawalha in a raid on his house. * November 15 – In Tulkarm, Israeli army undercover unit assassinate Hamas member Mahmud Obeid. * November 17 – In Tulkarm, Israeli army undercover unit attempt to assassinate Riad 'Abd al Ghani, instead execute his brother.Journal of Palestine Studies XXXII no.3 (Spring 2003) pp 164-184. . online: . * November 19 – In Tulkarm, Israeli army assassinates AMB member Tariq Zaghal. Three bystanders killed. * November 22 – In the Jenin refugee camp, senior
UNRWA The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA, pronounced ) is a UN agency that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. UNRWA's mandate encompasses Palestinians who fl ...
official
Iain Hook Iain John Hook (1948 – 22 November 2002) was a British aid worker and military officer who worked for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as project manager in the rebuilding of Jeni ...
is shot dead by an Israeli army sniper while inside the UNRWA compound. * November 26 – An Israeli rocket attack on a house in Jenin refugee camp kills AMB Jenin commander Ala' Ahmad Sabbagh and IQB Jenin commander Imad Nasharti. * December 4 – Israeli army fire five missiles into a building in Gaza City killing Palestine Resistance Committee (PRC) member Mustafa Sabah who is reported to be the inventor of an anti-tank bomb used in earlier attacks. * December 4 – In Hebron, the Israeli army shoot dead two PIJ members, Sami Shawer and Ahmad Srour. * December 6 – Ten Palestinians including two UNRWA workers are killed when forty Israeli tanks enter Bureji refugee camp searching for PRC leader Ayman Shishniyya. * December 7 – Near Jenin, Israeli army assassinate PIJ member 'Abd al-Hadi Omar. * December 10 – In
Khan Yunis Khan Yunis (), also spelled Khan Younis or Khan Yunus, is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and serves as the capital of the Khan Yunis Governorate. It has been largely destroyed during the Gaza war. Before the 14th century, Khan Y ...
, the Israeli army assassinates Hamas member Yasin al-Agha and in Balata refugee camp, the Israeli army assassinates wanted Palestinian Usama Badra. * December 12 – Israeli army shell-fire kills five unarmed labourers in the Gaza Strip. * December 13 – In the Nur al-Shams refugee camp, Israeli army assassinates Hamas's Tulkarm military commander, Tariq 'Abid Rabbuh. * December 13 – In Bethlehem, Israeli army kill Hamas member Jadallah Shuka. * December 16 – The Israeli army fatally shoots two armed Hamas members attempting to enter Israel from the Gaza Strip. Elsewhere in the Gaza Strip the Israeli army kill two civilians in separate incidents. * December 23 – In Jenin, Israeli army assassinates two wanted Hamas members. Shaman Suduh and Mustafa Baqash. * December 25 – In Nablus, Israeli army shoot senior Hamas member, Talib Abu Hawash denying him medical attention having him exsanguinate. * December 26 – In Tulkarm, Israeli army assassinate local AMB head Jamal Yahya. In Ramallah, a car is ambushed assassinating Hamas member Bassam Ashqar. In Qabatiyya local PIJ leader, Yusif Abu Rub, is also assassinated. An Israeli undercover enter a hospital in Ramallah and kill wanted man, Samir al-Shamali, who was working as a guard. Six other Palestinians are killed by the Israeli army during the day.


Notable deaths

* April 10 –
Haim Cohn Haim Herman Cohn (; 11 March 1911 – 10 April 2002) was an Israeli jurist and politician. Biography Haim Cohn was born in Lübeck, Germany in 1911 to a religious family. His father was the author and philologist Leopold Cohn. Haim was chairma ...
(born 1911), German-born Israeli jurist and politician. * October 2 –
Haim Yosef Zadok Haim Joseph Zadok (, born Haim Wilkenfeld; 2 October 1913 – 15 August 2002) was an Israeli jurist and politician. Early life Zadok was born in 1913 in Rava-Ruska in Eastern Galicia in Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine). He studied philosophy and Je ...
(born 1913), Austro-Hungarian ( Galicia)-born Israeli jurist and politician. * October 11 –
Maxim Levy Maxim Levy (; 11 February 1950 – 11 October 2002) was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Gesher and One Israel between 1996 and 2002, as well as mayor of Lod between 1983 and 1996. Biography Born in Rabat in M ...
(born 1950), Moroccan-born Israeli politician. * October 15 – Yaakov (Ze'ev) Farkash (born 1923), Hungarian-born Israeli cartoonist and illustrator. * September 7 –
Uziel Gal Uziel "Uzi" Gal (, born Gotthard Glas; 15 December 1923 – 7 September 2002) was a German-born Israeli firearm designer who invented and became the eponym of the Uzi submachine gun. Biography Gal was born in Weimar, Germany to Miele and ...
(born 1923), German-born Israeli gun designer best remembered as the designer and namesake of the
Uzi submachine gun The Uzi (; ; officially cased as UZI) is a family of Israeli open-bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns and machine pistols first designed by Major Uziel "Uzi" Gal in the late 1940s, shortly after the establishment of the State of Israel. ...
. * November 11 –
Yisrael Amir Yisrael Amir (; – ) was the first commander of the Israeli Air Force. Early life and biography Amir was born into a Lithuanian Jewish family with the surname ''Zabludovsky'' on 11 November 1902 in the city of Vilnius in the Russian Empire (no ...
(born 1903), Russian (Lithuania)-born Israeli
Haganah Haganah ( , ) was the main Zionist political violence, Zionist paramilitary organization that operated for the Yishuv in the Mandatory Palestine, British Mandate for Palestine. It was founded in 1920 to defend the Yishuv's presence in the reg ...
member, first commander of the Israeli Air Force. * November 11 –
Esther Raziel-Naor Esther Raziel-Naor (; 29 November 1911 – 11 November 2002) was a Revisionist Zionist, Irgun leader and Israeli politician. She was the sister of fellow Irgun leader David Raziel. Biography Early life Raziel was born in Smarhon (now in Grodno ...
(born 1911), Russian (Belarus)-born Israeli jurist and politician. * November 17 –
Abba Eban Abba Solomon Meir Eban (; ; born Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban; 2 February 1915 – 17 November 2002) was a History of the Jews in South Africa, South African-born Israeli diplomat and politician, and a scholar of the Arabic and Hebrew languages. D ...
(born 1915), South African-born Israeli foreign affair minister. * ''Full date unknown'' – Yaakov Ben-Tor (born 1910), German-born Israeli geologist.


Major public holidays


See also

* 2002 in Israeli film * Israel at the 2002 Winter Olympics *
2002 in the Palestinian territories Events in the year 2002 in Palestine. Incumbents Palestinian National Authority (non-state administrative authority) * President of the Palestinian National Authority, President – Yasser Arafat (Fatah) * Government of Palestine – Third Ara ...


References


External links


IDF History in 2002 @ dover.idf.il
{{DEFAULTSORT:2002 In Israel 2000s in Israel
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
Years of the 21st century in Israel