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Remnants of the Haifa bus after Sunday's suicide bombing attack.
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| By Ellis Shuman December 2, 2001 |
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15 Israelis were killed and 38 injured when a suicide bomber detonated himself on a bus in Haifa's Halisa neighborhood just after noon Sunday. The bombing occurred less than 12 hours after the triple bombing attack in Jerusalem, in which 10 Israelis were killed and over 180 injured. An Israeli was killed in a shooting attack in the Gaza Strip, and another seriously wounded in a West Bank shooting attack on a day described by police as an "all-out attack" of Palestinian violence.
The Haifa bombing occurred on an Egged bus, on its way from Neve Shaanan to the Hadar neighborhood. The blast shattered the front end of the bus, which continued some 150 meters before stopping at the Hagiborim Junction. Damage was caused to another bus traveling close behind as well.
Eyewitnesses said the terrorist got onto the bus and
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The wave of terror is an "all-out attack"
- Police commander Yaacov Borovsky
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immediately detonated his explosive charges. "I immediately suspected he was a terrorist," said bus driver Shimon Kavsa, who sustained light to moderate injuries in the attack. "He gave me money but didn't ask for change. Before I could do something, he blew himself up."
The driver of the second bus said he saw the bus explode in front of his eyes. It lifted in the air, he said, and "pieces shot everywhere and people flew out the windows."
"The bus rolled down the hill," eyewitness Aryeh Zissman told Israel Radio. "The wounded were lying down, so still, they didn't even ask for help. They were quiet, and then we were told they were dead. All that was left was to cover their bodies," he said.
Northern District police commander Yaacov Borovsky described the wave of terror in Israel over the course of the last day as an "all-out attack." Borovsky said there had been "general warnings" of possible terror attacks in Haifa, but no specific alerts.
Earlier Sunday, an Israeli motorist was killed and five others injured in a shooting attack near the settlement of Alei Sinai in the northern Gaza Strip. Prof. Baruch Zinger, 51, a senior scientist at the Nahal Sorek nuclear facility and a resident of Gadera, was killed when two Palestinians opened fire on his civilian jeep.
IDF forces and armored units launched a pursuit of the terrorists, who took refuge in an IDF firing range. A gun battle ensued, and the terrorists were killed, apparently by an IDF tank shell. Army Radio reported that the two terrorists had worn IDF uniforms.
The Hamas claimed responsibility for both the Haifa bombing and the Gaza shooting, declaring they were intended to avenge the assassination of Hamas master terrorist Mahmoud Abu Hanoud. The terrorists in Gaza were identified as Jihad Musri, 17, and Muslama Araraj from nearby Beit Lahiya.
In other violent incidents on Sunday, an Israeli was critically wounded in a shooting attack near the settlement of Kadim in northern Samaria. The wounded man was apparently shot by a Palestinian sniper firing from Palestinian-controlled territory around Jenin.
Seven Israelis were reportedly injured when an explosive device detonated near a bus at the Beka'ot Junction in the Jordan Valley. In Jerusalem's Gilo neighborhood three Israelis were reportedly wounded by Palestinian gunfire from the nearby town of Beit Jala.
A Palestinian was shot dead Sunday afternoon on Salah a-Din Street in East Jerusalem. Ibrahim Nabulsi, 22, a resident of East Jerusalem with no security record, was killed when he startled a bank security guard, who pulled his gun and shot him.
Cabinet approves preliminary IDF responses
Israel's security cabinet met Sunday morning and heard briefings on security events of the past days. According to an official statement, "the security cabinet unanimously approved the urgent proposals put forward by Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz." Media analysts believed that the approved proposals offered no new anti-terror tactics. The IDF spokesperson announced a prohibition on Palestinian travel in areas under Israeli security control. Other security decisions, including the possible return of the IDF to additional Palestinian-controlled territories, were deferred until Prime Minister Ariel Sharon returns from the United States after meeting with President George W. Bush today.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat has convened a meeting with the heads of the Palestinian security forces. Palestinian sources report that Arafat may announce plans to launch an unprecedented battle against the Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two organizations he views as having undermined Palestinian efforts to achieve a cease-fire. However, since Arafat's own Fatah faction took credit for cooperating with Islamic Jihad in last week's shooting attacks in Afula and the bombing of a bus near Hadera, the potential battle lines are far from clear-cut.
Palestinians reported that Israeli helicopters flew over the West Bank city of Tulkarm after the Haifa bus bombing. Palestinian security forces reportedly vacated positions in the city in fear of a possible Israeli military action.
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