2002 Jaffa Street bombing
Encyclopedia
The 2002 Jaffa Street bombing was a suicide bombing which occurred on January 27, 2002 in which Wafa Idris
, an 28-year-old Palestinian female suicide bomber, blew herself up in the center of Jerusalem, killing one person and injuring about 100 people.
, whom worked for the Palestinian Red Crescent in Ramallah
, managed to pass through the Qalandiya checkpoint while she was driving a Red Crescent ambulance and dressed in the organization's uniform, while the explosive device was hidden in the ambulance. Although the original plan was that she would pass the explosive device to a designated person in Israel, Idris eventually decided to blow up the explosive device by herself, and as a result she updated her operative Abu Talal of her decision using her cell phone.
Idris carried the bomb in a backpack, rather than strapped to her body. She approached a shoe store located on the Jaffa Street in the center of Jerusalem and detonated the 22-pound explosive device at the entrance to the store. An 81-year-old Israeli man was killed immediately from the blast and more than a 100 people were injured.
reported that the bomber was named Shahanaz Al Amouri, from An-Najah National University
in Nablus
. A few days later the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack and identified the bomber as Wafa Idris.
Idris was born in the Am'ari refugee camp in 1975. Her father died when she was a child. She was about 12 years old when the first intifada
started in 1987. According to her relatives, Idris served on the Am'ari refugee camp's women's committee during the first intifada, where she assisted in food distribution at times of curfew, provided social support and helped prisoners' families. Idris married her first cousin when she was sixteen. She delivered a stillborn baby when she was 23 and was told that she would never be able to carry a baby to full term. Her husband divorced her and she moved back to live with her mother, a brother and his wife and five children. She then began volunteering for the Red Crescent Society and trained as a medic. According to the Red Crescent's coordinator of Emergency Response Services, Idris volunteered every Friday, the peak time during the intifada because of frequent riots after prayer, and for two or three days in a row when there were riots during the week.
Wafa Idris
Wafa Idris was the first female suicide bomber in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At the time of her death, Idris was a 28 year old, divorced Red Crescent paramedic. She lived in the Am'ari Refugee Camp in Ramallah.-Early life:...
, an 28-year-old Palestinian female suicide bomber, blew herself up in the center of Jerusalem, killing one person and injuring about 100 people.
The attack
On Sunday, 27 January 2002, the 28-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber Wafa IdrisWafa Idris
Wafa Idris was the first female suicide bomber in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At the time of her death, Idris was a 28 year old, divorced Red Crescent paramedic. She lived in the Am'ari Refugee Camp in Ramallah.-Early life:...
, whom worked for the Palestinian Red Crescent in Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
, managed to pass through the Qalandiya checkpoint while she was driving a Red Crescent ambulance and dressed in the organization's uniform, while the explosive device was hidden in the ambulance. Although the original plan was that she would pass the explosive device to a designated person in Israel, Idris eventually decided to blow up the explosive device by herself, and as a result she updated her operative Abu Talal of her decision using her cell phone.
Idris carried the bomb in a backpack, rather than strapped to her body. She approached a shoe store located on the Jaffa Street in the center of Jerusalem and detonated the 22-pound explosive device at the entrance to the store. An 81-year-old Israeli man was killed immediately from the blast and more than a 100 people were injured.
The perpetrator
Shortly after the attack, before the bomber had been identified, Hezbollah's TV channelAl-Manar
Al-Manar is a Lebanese satellite television station affiliated with Hezbollah, registered as Lebanese Media Group Company, broadcasting from Beirut, Lebanon. It has an offering a "rich menu" of high production news, commentary, and entertainment. The self-proclaimed "Station of the Resistance" ,...
reported that the bomber was named Shahanaz Al Amouri, from An-Najah National University
An-Najah National University
An-Najah National University is a Palestinian non-governmental public university governed by a board of Trustees. It is located in Nablus, in the northern West Bank. The university has over 16,500 students and 300 professors in 19 faculties...
in Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
. A few days later the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack and identified the bomber as Wafa Idris.
Idris was born in the Am'ari refugee camp in 1975. Her father died when she was a child. She was about 12 years old when the first intifada
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....
started in 1987. According to her relatives, Idris served on the Am'ari refugee camp's women's committee during the first intifada, where she assisted in food distribution at times of curfew, provided social support and helped prisoners' families. Idris married her first cousin when she was sixteen. She delivered a stillborn baby when she was 23 and was told that she would never be able to carry a baby to full term. Her husband divorced her and she moved back to live with her mother, a brother and his wife and five children. She then began volunteering for the Red Crescent Society and trained as a medic. According to the Red Crescent's coordinator of Emergency Response Services, Idris volunteered every Friday, the peak time during the intifada because of frequent riots after prayer, and for two or three days in a row when there were riots during the week.
External links
- Woman bomber attacks Jerusalem - published on BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
on January 28, 2002 - Jerusalem Bomb - published on NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
on January 28, 2002 - Woman suicide bomber strikes - published on The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
on January 27, 2002 - Woman suicide bomber kills Israeli and injures 140 - published on the Irish IndependentIrish IndependentThe Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
on January 28, 2002