1974 Beit She'an attack
Encyclopedia
The 1974 Beit She'an attack, which took place during November 19, 1974, was a raid by a squad of Palestinian militants, belonging to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
militant organization, on the Israeli city of Beit She'an.
Four civilians were killed during the event and more than 20 civilians were injured.
disguised as laborers. The militant squad arrived at the town of Beit She'an in northern Israel and entered a 4-storey building in the Eliyahu neighborhood. The militants were equipped with AK-47
rifles, grenades, bombs, axes, as well as a loudspeaker and leaflets for the negotiations with the Israeli security forces.
Initially the militants fired through the apartment doors hitting Mazal Edry, who died later of her wounds in the stairwell. Then the squad broke into the apartment of the Bibas family whom lived on the third floor. After murdering the mother of the family, they threw grenades from the windows, demanding the release of their comrades from Israeli prisons. During the event, the three children of the Bibas family, jumped out of the apartment from their third-floor window, suffering only light injuries. Jean Pierre Alimi, a resident of the neighborhood, was killed by the militants while he helped evacuate the wounded.
The people evacuated from the building alerted the Border Police
whom soon afterwards surrounded the building. An attempt was made to negotiate with the militants. After three hours the IDF force broke into the apartment, killing the three militants. During the exchange of fire, the father of the Bibas family was killed.
During the entire event circa 20 Israeli civilians were injured, many of them children whom jumped out of their apartment windows in order to save their lives.
claimed responsibility for the attack. Prior to this attack the organization performed several major attacks against Israeli targets, including: the Avivim school bus massacre
carried out on May 22nd, 1970 and the Ma'alot massacre
carried out on May 15th, 1974.
and Rabbi Shlomo Goren
who participated in the funerals of the victims.
Years after the event an avenue in Beit She'an was named "Shderat HaArba'ah" ("The Avenue of the Four") in memory of the victims of the attack.
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian Marxist-Leninist, secular political and military organization. It is also frequently referred to as the Democratic Front, or al-Jabha al-Dimuqratiyah...
militant organization, on the Israeli city of Beit She'an.
Four civilians were killed during the event and more than 20 civilians were injured.
The attack
On Tuesday, November 19th, 1974, three Palestinian militants who infiltrated into Israel from JordanJordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
disguised as laborers. The militant squad arrived at the town of Beit She'an in northern Israel and entered a 4-storey building in the Eliyahu neighborhood. The militants were equipped with AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
rifles, grenades, bombs, axes, as well as a loudspeaker and leaflets for the negotiations with the Israeli security forces.
Initially the militants fired through the apartment doors hitting Mazal Edry, who died later of her wounds in the stairwell. Then the squad broke into the apartment of the Bibas family whom lived on the third floor. After murdering the mother of the family, they threw grenades from the windows, demanding the release of their comrades from Israeli prisons. During the event, the three children of the Bibas family, jumped out of the apartment from their third-floor window, suffering only light injuries. Jean Pierre Alimi, a resident of the neighborhood, was killed by the militants while he helped evacuate the wounded.
The people evacuated from the building alerted the Border Police
Israel Border Police
The Israel Border Police is the gendarmerie and border security branch of the Israel National Police. It is also commonly known by its Hebrew abbreviation Magav , meaning border guard, whilst its members are colloquially known as Magavnikim . Border Guard is often used as the official name of the...
whom soon afterwards surrounded the building. An attempt was made to negotiate with the militants. After three hours the IDF force broke into the apartment, killing the three militants. During the exchange of fire, the father of the Bibas family was killed.
During the entire event circa 20 Israeli civilians were injured, many of them children whom jumped out of their apartment windows in order to save their lives.
Fatalities
- Mazal Edry, 42, of Beit She'an
- Jean Pierre Alimi, 37, of Beit She'an
- Zohar Bibas, 53, of Beit She'an
- Yehuda Bibas, 53 , of Beit She'an
The perpetrators
After the attack the Palestinian militant organization Democratic Front for the Liberation of PalestineDemocratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian Marxist-Leninist, secular political and military organization. It is also frequently referred to as the Democratic Front, or al-Jabha al-Dimuqratiyah...
claimed responsibility for the attack. Prior to this attack the organization performed several major attacks against Israeli targets, including: the Avivim school bus massacre
Avivim school bus massacre
The Avivim school bus massacre was a terrorist attack on an Israeli school bus on May 8, 1970 in which 12 Israeli civilians were killed, nine of them children, and 25 were wounded. The attack took place on the road to Moshav Avivim, near Israel's border with Lebanon. Two bazooka shells were fired...
carried out on May 22nd, 1970 and the Ma'alot massacre
Ma'alot massacre
The Ma'alot massacre was a terrorist attack which included a two-day hostage-taking of 115 people which ended in the deaths of over 25 hostages. It began when three armed Palestinian terrorists of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine entered Israel from Lebanon...
carried out on May 15th, 1974.
Aftermath
After the militants were killed, a large crowd of locals gathered around the building. The police and IDF forces at the site failed to stop them as the angry residents entered the apartment and threw the bodies of the militants out the window. The angry mob poured petrol on the bodies and torched them. The body of one of the victims was accidentally lit as well. The maltreatment of the militants bodies was later on condemned by the Minister Shimon PeresShimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
and Rabbi Shlomo Goren
Shlomo Goren
Shlomo Goren , was an Orthodox Religious Zionist rabbi in Israel who founded and served as the first head of the Military Rabbinate of the Israel Defense Forces and subsequently as the third Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983.He served in the Israel Defense Forces during three wars,...
who participated in the funerals of the victims.
Years after the event an avenue in Beit She'an was named "Shderat HaArba'ah" ("The Avenue of the Four") in memory of the victims of the attack.
External links
- Terrorists Had Killed 4 Residents of a Village Near Jordan Border - published on The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
on November 20, 1974 - Arab Terrorists Raid Israel, Grab Hostages - published on the Pittsburgh Post-GazettePittsburgh Post-GazetteThe Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
on November 19, 1974 - Arab Terrorists Raid Israeli Town - published on the St. Petersburg TimesSt. Petersburg TimesThe St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
on November 20, 1974 - Arab Terrorists Kill 4 Israelis; Die In Shootout - published on the News And Courier on November 20, 1974
- Israel Condemns Guerrillas And Vows To Eliminate Them - published on the Lodi News-SentinelLodi News-SentinelThe Lodi News-Sentinel is a daily newspaper based in Lodi, California and serving northern San Joaquin and southern Sacramento counties. It is owned by Fred Weybret, Marty Weybret and Jim Weybret.- History :...
on November 20, 1974