- Netzarim Junction bicycle bombing
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Netzarim Junction bicycle bombing 
The attack siteLocation Netzarim Junction, Gaza Strip Date 11 November 1994 (UTC+2) Attack type Suicide attack Death(s) 3 Israeli soldiers (+ 1 bomber) Injured 6 Israeli soldiers and 6 Palestinian Arabs Perpetrator(s) Lone Palestinian Arab assailant (Hisham Ismail Hamad). Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility The Netzarim Junction bicycle bombing was a suicide bombing which occurred on November 11, 1994 at a Israeli Army checkpoint located in the Gaza Strip. In the attack, three Israeli soldiers were killed and six Israeli soldiers and six Palestinian Arab were wounded.
The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.
Contents
The attack
On Friday, November 11, 1994 a Palestinian Arab cyclist detonated explosives strapped to his body as he rode his bicycle into an Israeli Army checkpoint. Apart from the bomber, the blast killed three Israeli soldiers, all officers on reserve duty, and wounded twelve other people – six Israeli servicemen and six Palestinian Arabs, including members of a family that happened to be passing in a car.[1]
The attack occurred close to the then Israeli settlement of Netzarim, at the main junction of Gaza Strip's north-south highway.[2]
Fatalities
The following people died in the attack:[3]
- Capt. Yehazkel Sapir, 36, of Kfar Sava[4]
- Lt. Yotam Rahat, 31, of Tel-Aviv[5]
- Capt. Elad Dror, 24, of Kibbutz Nahshon[6]
The perpetrators
A leaflet that was later distributed by Islamic Jihad identified the bomber as Hisham Ismail Hamad, 21, of Gaza City's Sheik Radwan neighborhood.[2]
Aftermath
Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat condemned the attack, through an aide.[2] Following the attack, the Palestinian police raided scores of houses and a mosque and arrested more than 100 Islamic militants in a crackdown ordered as a result of the killing of the three Israeli soldiers.[1]
While apparently initiating a tougher policy against Muslim militants, leaders of the Palestinian self-rule authority denounced Netzarim and the other settlement in the Gaza Strip. "Netzarim has been a sore point," said Nabil Shaath, the Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator. Another official, Yasser Abed Rabbo, said, "The settlements represent a time bomb, and we think that in order to overcome many difficulties on the security level, this issue must be resolved, and resolved soon".[1]
References
- ^ a b c Palestinians Arrest 100 Islamic Militants After Bicycle Bombing, New York Times 12 November 1994
- ^ a b c Suicide Bomber Kills 3 Israeli Soldiers in Gaza, Los Angeles Times 12 November 1994
- ^ "Fatal Terrorist Attacks in Israel Since the Declaration of Principles". MFA. 24 Sep 2000. http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Palestinian+terror+before+2000/Fatal+Terrorist+Attacks+in+Israel+Since+the+DOP+-S.htm. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
- ^ Capt. Yehazkel Sapir (Hebrew)
- ^ Lt. Yotam Rahat (Hebrew)
- ^ Capt. Elad Dror (Hebrew)
Prominent terrorist attacks against Israeli targets in the history of the Arab–Israeli conflict – the 1990s 1990 Assassination of Meir Kahane (November 5)1992 Night of the Pitchforks (February 14) – Attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires (March 17) – Murder of Helena Rapp (May 24)1993 Mehola Junction bombing (April 16) – Murder of Yaron Chen (August 5)1994 Afula Bus suicide bombing (April 6) – Hadera central station suicide bombing (April 13) – Attack on the Israeli embassy in London (July 26) – Kidnapping of Nachshon Wachsman (October 14) – Dizengoff Street bus bombing (October 19) – Netzarim Junction bicycle bombing (November 11) – Afula axe attack (November 30)1995 Beit Lid massacre (January 22) – Kfar Darom bus attack (April 9) – Ramat Gan bus 20 bombing (July 24) – Jerusalem bus 26 bombing (August 21)1996 First Jerusalem bus 18 suicide bombing (February 25) ‡ – Second Jerusalem bus 18 suicide bombing (March 3) – Dizengoff Center suicide bombing (March 4)1997 Island of Peace massacre (March 13) – Café Apropo bombing (March 21) – Mahane Yehuda Market Bombings (July 30) – Ben Yehuda Street Bombing (September 4)‡ indicates the terrorist attack which caused the greatest amount of Israeli casualties during the 1990s
1980s
Full list of Palestinian suicide attacks • Full list of Lebanese rocket attacks on Israel
2000sCategories:- Arab–Israeli conflict
- Suicide bombing in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- 1994 in Israel
- Terrorist incidents in 1994
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