A
Palestinian suicide bombing of a crowded public bus (Egged bus No. 2) in the
Shmuel HaNavi quarter 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 ...
took place on August 19, 2003. Twenty-four people were killed and over 130 wounded. Many of the victims were children, some of them infants.
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 ...
claimed responsibility for the attack.
Attack
On August 19, 2003 (22
Av 5763), a Hamas suicide bomber sent out by the organization's
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 ...
cell disguised himself as a
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 ...
Jew and detonated himself on a No. 2
Egged bus traveling through Jerusalem's Shmuel HaNavi neighborhood. He blew himself up after entering the back door. The double-length bus was crowded with
Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tra ...
children returning from a visit to the
Western Wall
The Western Wall (; ; Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: ''HaKosel HaMa'arovi'') is an ancient retaining wall of the built-up hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount of Jerusalem. Its most famous section, known by the same name ...
. In addition to the perpetrator, the huge explosion killed 7 children and 16 adults, among them a woman who was eight months' pregnant, and injured more than 130 people. The bomb was spiked with ball-bearings designed to increase injuries on the crowded bus. Hamas said the bomber was a 29-year-old mosque
preacher
A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...
from the city of Hebron.
Because so many of the dead and injured were children, the media dubbed it the "children's bus". According to an
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
report,
Perpetrators
Both Hamas and
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. According to
Tariq Ali
Tariq Ali (;; born 21 October 1943) is a Pakistani-British political activist, writer, journalist, historian, filmmaker, and public intellectual. He is a member of the editorial committee of the ''New Left Review'' and ''Sin Permiso'', and co ...
, however, the bombing was carried out by a "self-proclaimed 'Hamas' cell from Hebron, disowned and denounced by the official leadership." The attack put an end to the so-called
Hudna
A ''hudna'' (from the Arabic meaning "calm" or "quiet") is a truce or armistice. It is sometimes translated as " cease-fire". In his medieval dictionary of classical Arabic, the '' Lisan al-Arab'', Ibn Manzur defined it as:
: "''hadana'': he ...
that had been announced in July 2003. United States 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 ...
sent his condolences to the victims' families. The
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
also denounced what it called the "devastating terrorist attack" and called on the Palestinian Authority to intervene to bring a halt to such acts:
The European Commission strongly condemns last night's devastating terrorist attack in Jerusalem and expresses its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to the Israeli Government. This is an attack on all the forces working for peace. The European Commission calls on the Palestinian Authority
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, ...
to do everything in its powers to prevent such unacceptable and unjustified act of violence, and urges the PA and the Israeli Government to pursue their dialogue and common efforts towards peace as set out in the Road Map
A road map, route map, or street map is a map that primarily displays roads and transport links rather than physical geography, natural geographical information. It is a type of navigational map that commonly includes border, political boundar ...
.
Aftermath
Following the attack, Israeli forces arrested 17 Palestinians suspected of being Hamas activists, including several of the bomber's relatives, while Hamas leader
Ismail Abu Shanab and his two bodyguards were killed by an Israeli helicopter missile strike in Gaza.
In 2004 a memorial plaque to the victims was erected in the
Beit Yisrael neighborhood of Jerusalem. The name of the only non-Jewish victim, Maria Antonia Reslas, was engraved separately from the names of the other victims, with the title "Mrs" rather than the title "sainted" (kadosh) used for the Jews, resulting in some controversy.
A degrading memorial
Haaretz, August 16, 2004
See also
* Dizengoff Center suicide bombing
* Israeli casualties of war
* Kiryat Menachem bus bombing
* Patt junction bus bombing
References
External links
Bus bombing in Jerusalem kills at least 18, injures more than 100
– published on NPR
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
on August 19, 2003
18 killed, over 110 hurt in Jerusalem bus bomb
– published on Haaretz
''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...
on August 20, 2003
Bus bomb carnage in Jerusalem
– published on BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
on August 20, 2003
Bomber his bus carrying Israeli families 18 die, 100 wounded; children among victims
– published on the Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
on August 20, 2003
Suicide bombing of No. 2 Egged bus in Jerusalem August 19, 2003
– published at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
{{Hamas
Mass murder in 2003
Suicide bombings in 2003
Israeli casualties in the Second Intifada
Hamas suicide bombings of buses
Child murder in Jerusalem
2003 in Jerusalem
August 2003 in Asia
Islamic terrorist incidents in 2003
Terrorist incidents in Jerusalem in the 2000s
21st-century mass murder in Jerusalem
August 2003 crimes in Asia
Suicide bombings in Jerusalem
Terrorist incidents in Asia in 2003
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