Gaza Street bus bombing

Gaza Street bus bombing
Part of the Second Intifada militancy campaign
Remains of the charred bus
The attack site
Location	Jerusalem
Coordinates	31°46′24.92″N 35°12′57.28″E / 31.7735889°N 35.2159111°E / 31.7735889; 35.2159111
Date	January 29, 2004 Shortly before 9:00 AM –
Attack type	suicide bombing
Death(s)	11 civilians (+ 1 bomber)
Injured	50+
Perpetrator(s)	Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Hamas

The Gaza Street bus bombing was a suicide bombing on Gaza Street in central Jerusalem, Israel on January 29, 2004. A Palestinian bomber detonated an explosive belt on an Egged bus #19 traveling between the two campuses of Hadassah Medical Center. Eleven passengers were killed and over 50 people were wounded, 13 of them seriously.

The attack

On January 29, 2004, shortly before 9:00 AM, a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated himself in the back of an Egged bus at the corner of Gaza and Arlozorov streets in Jerusalem, near the official residence of the Prime Minister of Israel.^[1] The blast tore the bus apart, blowing the roof into the air and breaking all the windows. The blast killed 11 people and injured more than 50. Thirteen were in serious condition.

Fatalities

The following people were killed in the attack on Bus 19^[2]:

Avraham (Albert) Balhasan, 28, of Jerusalem Rose Boneh, 39, of Jerusalem Hava Hannah (Anya) Bonder, 38, of Jerusalem Anat Darom, 23, of Netanya Viorel Octavian Florescu, 42, of Jerusalem Natalia Gamril, 53, of Jerusalem

Yechezkel Isser Goldberg, 41, of Betar Illit Baruch (Roman) Hondiashvili, 38, of Jerusalem Dana Itach, 24, of Jerusalem Mehbere Kifile, 35, of Ethiopia Eli Zfira, 48, of Jerusalem

The perpetrators

Both the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred less than 24 hours after eight Palestinians were killed in an Israeli army raid on the outskirts of Gaza,^[1] naming the bomber as Ali Yusuf Jaara, a 24-year-old Palestinian policeman from Bethlehem.^[2]

Aftermath

Originally the wreck of Bus 19 was maintained and stored by ZAKA in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Connection, Int'l, a Christian Zionist organization [1] was invited by ZAKA to bring the bus to the USA. The wreck of the bus was on display first at the Hague for the International Court of Justice hearing about the Israeli West Bank barrier. The Jerusalem Connection then brought the bus to the USA where, under the cosponsorship of many Jewish and Christian organizations, churches, and synagogues, it was put on display in several cities and at various US universities.^[3]

Bus 19 is currently located permanently at Camp Shoresh in Adamstown, Md. A memorial garden incorporating the wreckage is planned. See http://www.bus19project.com for more information.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Ten killed in Jerusalem suicide bombing, The Guardian, January 29, 2004.
2. ^ ^{a b} Suicide bombing of Egged bus no. 19 in Jerusalem. Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. January 29, 2004. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
3. ^ Bombed Israeli Bus on Display at Duke Oct. 12-13, Duke University News and Communications, October 11, 2004

External links

• Suicide bombing of Egged bus no 19 in Jerusalem - 29-Jan-2004 - published at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Suicide attack on Jerusalem bus - published on BBC News on January 29, 2004