Karkur junction suicide bombing

The Karkur junction bus bombing was a suicide attack on October 21, 2002 at the Karkur junction near Wadi Ara, Israel. The attack, carried out by Islamic Jihad, killed 14 passengers and wounded 50.

Karkur junction suicide bombing
Part of the Second Intifada militancy campaign

The attack site
LocationKarkur Junction, Wadi Ara
Coordinates32°27′54″N 34°59′38″E
DateOctober 21, 2002
Attack type
suicide bomber
Deaths7 soldiers and 7 civilians (+ 2 suicide bombers)
Injured40+
PerpetratorsIslamic Jihad

The attack

Egged commuter bus 841 was on its way on Route No. 65 from Kiryat Shmona to Tel Aviv when it stopped at the Karkur Junction, about 8 kilometers from Hadera at the afternoon rush hour. A passenger got on and spoke to driver Chaim Avraham, but before he could answer, a jeep loaded with an estimated 100 kilograms of TNT rammed the back of the bus, causing an explosion. A fire broke out, causing a chain of explosions from the ammunition carried by soldiers who were riding the bus.[1] The explosion ignited the fuel tank, leaving the bus completely gutted. The blaze initially prevented the police and rescue workers from approaching the bus, which was reduced to a blackened skeleton.[2]

7 Israeli soldiers and 7 civilians were killed in the attack and 50 passengers were wounded.[3]

The terrorist attack came two days before United States Assistant Secretary of State William Burns was due to visit Israel as part of a tour of Middle East nations, seeking support for an invasion of Iraq.

Fatalities

The victims of the Karkur junction suicide bombing:

Soldiers
  • Cpl. Sharon Tubol, 19, of Arad
  • St.-Sgt. Aiman Sharuf, 20, of Isfiya
  • St.-Sgt. Nir Nahum, 20, of Carmiel
  • Sgt.-Maj.(res.) Eliezer Moskovitch, 40, of Petah Tikva
  • Cpl. Ilona Hanukayev, 20, of Hadera
  • St.-Sgt. Liat Ben-Ami, 20, of Haifa
  • Sgt. Esther Pesachov, 19, of Givat Olga
Civilians
  • Ofra Burger, 56, of Hod Hasharon
  • Iris Lavi, 68, of Netanya
  • Suad Jaber, 23, of Taibe
  • Indelou Ashati, 54, of Hadera
  • Anat Shimshon, 33, of Ra'anana
  • Osnat Abramov, 16, of Holon
  • Sergei Shavchuk, 35, of Afula

The perpetrators

The military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it was carried out by Ashraf al-Asama, 18, and Mohammed al-Hasnin, 19, both from the West Bank city of Jenin.

Official reactions

The Palestinian Authority said it condemned the suicide bombing. An Israeli official expressed skepticism, declaring that "The Palestinian Authority has become a prime authority on terror and could not care less about preventing it."[4]

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See also

References
  1. Suicide bombing in Israel kills at least 14, wounds 40. Oregon Daily Emerald
  2. bombing of Egged bus no. 841 at Karkur junction
  3. Karkur junction, Office of the Prime Minister
  4. Militants bomb Israeli bus. BBC News
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