Karkur junction suicide bombing | |
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Part of the Second Intifada militancy campaign | |
Location | Karkur Junction, Wadi Ara |
Coordinates | 32°27′54″N 34°59′38″E / 32.465°N 34.99389°E |
Date | October 21, 2002 |
Attack type | suicide bomber |
Deaths | 7 soldiers and 7 civilians (+ 2 suicide bombers) |
Non-fatal injuries | 40+ |
Perpetrators | Islamic Jihad |
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.
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:
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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]
See also[]
- Civilian casualties in the Second Intifada
- Israeli casualties of war
External links[]
- 16 Die After Car Blast Causes Bus Fire In Israel - published on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on October 22, 2002
- Suicide car-bomb attack kills 14 in Israel - published on The Independent on October 22, 2002
- Bus Blast in Israel Kills at Least 14; Explosive-Laden Vehicle Sets Off Rush-Hour Inferno; 50 Injured - published on The Washington Post on October 22, 2002
- Terror attack kills 14 in Israel - published on CNN on October 21, 2002
- Suicide bombing of Egged bus No 841 at Karkur junction - published at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
References[]
- ↑ Suicide bombing in Israel kills at least 14, wounds 40. Oregon Daily Emerald
- ↑ bombing of Egged bus no. 841 at Karkur junction
- ↑ Karkur junction, Office of the Prime Minister (Israel)|Office of the Prime Minister
- ↑ Militants bomb Israeli bus. BBC News
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