Bat Mitzvah massacre
Encyclopedia
The Bat Mitzvah massacre was a January 18, 2002 terrorist attack
in Hadera
, Israel
, in which a Palestinian
gunman killed six people and wounded 33 at a Bat Mitzvah celebration, a traditional Jewish celebration held for a 12-year-old girl.
+2) as guests were departing. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
assumed responsibility for the attack, claiming it was vengeance for the killing of one of its leaders. An Israeli police spokesman said the man, apparently on a suicide mission, had detonated explosives on him and thrown several grenades into the Armon David wedding hall, where the Bat Mitzvah celebration took place. A belt filled with explosives was found on the attacker.
and launched the attack to avenge the death of Raed Karmi.
After the attack a video made earlier by the killer was released, in which he is seen declaring: "I am doing this to avenge all the Palestinian martyrs."
television network was criticized for bias in coverage of the massacre
, failing to note that the victims were attending a bat mitzvah and that the gunman crashed the event at a crowded banquet hall, and failing to mention the number of people killed by Raed Karmi when covering his assassination several days earlier, which would have provided context for the story.
Israel
Palestinian territories:
International: the US government condemned the Hadera attack "in the strongest possible terms," calling it a "horrific act of terrorism."
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
in Hadera
Hadera
Hadera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along of the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, in which a Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
gunman killed six people and wounded 33 at a Bat Mitzvah celebration, a traditional Jewish celebration held for a 12-year-old girl.
The attack
The attack took place at 9:45 pm (GMTGreenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is arguably the same as Coordinated Universal Time and when this is viewed as a time zone the name Greenwich Mean Time is especially used by bodies connected with the United...
+2) as guests were departing. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades is a coalition of Palestinian nationalist militias in the West Bank. The group's name refers to the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem...
assumed responsibility for the attack, claiming it was vengeance for the killing of one of its leaders. An Israeli police spokesman said the man, apparently on a suicide mission, had detonated explosives on him and thrown several grenades into the Armon David wedding hall, where the Bat Mitzvah celebration took place. A belt filled with explosives was found on the attacker.
Fatalities
- Boris Melikhov, 56, of SderotSderotSderot is a western Negev city in the Southern District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 20,700. The city has been an ongoing target of Qassam rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip...
- Aharon Ellis, 32, of Ra'ananaRa'ananaRa'anana is a city in the heart of the southern Sharon Plain of the Central District of Israel with a population of 68,300, . Ra'anana is bordered by Kfar Sava on the east and Herzliya on the southwest...
- Anatoly Bakshiev, 62, of Or Akiva
- Avi Yazdi, 24, of Or Akiva
- Edward Bakshayev, 48, of Or Akiva
- Dina Binayev, 48, of AshkelonAshkelonAshkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...
The perpetrators
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said the killer, 24-year-old Abdel Salam Hassouna, was from a village near NablusNablus
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...
and launched the attack to avenge the death of Raed Karmi.
After the attack a video made earlier by the killer was released, in which he is seen declaring: "I am doing this to avenge all the Palestinian martyrs."
Aftermath
The Al JazeeraAl Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
television network was criticized for bias in coverage of the massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
, failing to note that the victims were attending a bat mitzvah and that the gunman crashed the event at a crowded banquet hall, and failing to mention the number of people killed by Raed Karmi when covering his assassination several days earlier, which would have provided context for the story.
Official reactions
Involved parties Israel Palestinian territories:
- The Palestinian Authority condemned the attack but blamed Israel for provoking it.
International: the US government condemned the Hadera attack "in the strongest possible terms," calling it a "horrific act of terrorism."
See also
- List of massacres in Israel
- Palestinian political violencePalestinian political violencePalestinian political violence refers to acts of violence undertaken to further the Palestinian cause. These political objectives include self-determination in and sovereignty over Palestine, the liberation of Palestine and establishment of a Palestinian state, either in place of both Israel and...
- Passover massacrePassover massacreThe Passover massacre was a suicide bombing carried out by Hamas at the Park Hotel in Netanya, Israel on March 27, 2002, during a Passover seder. Thirty civilians were killed in the attack and 140 were injured...
External links
- Seven killed in attack in Israel - 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 18, 2002 - Seven Suicide terrorist kills 6 at Bat Mitzvah in Israel - published on the New York PostNew York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
on January 18, 2002