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The Sharon mall in Netanya, scene of the attack.
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| By israelinsider staff and partners July 12, 2005 |
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At about 6:40 pm last night, a suicide bomber detonated in a crosswalk near an entrance to the Sharon mall in Netanya. Four are dead, 90 are injured. Islamic Jihad claimed credit. 40 minutes earlier, a bomber in a stolen Israeli car exploded prematurely in the Samarian settlement of Shavei Shomron, seriously wounding only himself. The IDF has launched a full-scale operation in Tulkarem to seek out the terrorists responsible.
The dead are: Anna Lifshitz, 50, of Netanya, Yulia Weltshin, 31, of Netanya, Rachel Ben Abu and Nofar Horvitz, two 16-year-old girls from Tel Aviv.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Wednesday vowed to wage a "relentless attack" against the Islamic Jihad and its commanders in the wake of the bombings.
After entering Tulkarem, the IDF nabbed five senior Islamic Jihad terrorists, who have been taken into custody.
Two IDF soldiers were lightly wounded in the operation, and were evacuated to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva.
The Netanya attack occurred in the exact location of an attack four years ago, when five were killed. Today's attacker apparently intended to enter the large mall but may have been dissuaded by the guard and lack of people at the entrance itself.
Eyewitnesses, including Netanya's mayor, reported seeing the large explosion, and some reported scattered flesh on the road and on nearby trees and light fixtures.
Crowds gathered at the scene and furiously protested the Israeli government's political and diplomatic decisions, which endangered Israelis, an eyewitness told Channel 2.
The IDF was looking into how the suicide bomber managed to infiltrate into Israeli and were exploring whether he had managed to permeate the West Bank security fence.
The failed bombing in Shavei Shomron, some ten miles east in Samaria, occurred next to a basketball court and a kindergarten. The terrorist entered the community when another car exited the settlement gate. For reasons unknown, the bomb went off prematurely and did not ignite the gas cylinders and shrapnels intended to create more devastation. The bomber is in serious condition.
Islamic Jihad claimed credit, although there was conflicting reports as to whether the claim was for both attacks or only the one at the mall in Netanya.
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