Solved case · 2002
Also known as 2002 Herzliya bombing · Herzliya shawarma restaurant bombing
Mifgash Hasharon JamilCredit: דוד שיCC BY-SA 4.0SourceThe short answer
A Palestinian suicide bomber detonated a pipe bomb at a shawarma restaurant in Herzliya, Israel on June 11, 2002, killing 14-year-old Hadar Hershkowitz and injuring 15 others.
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Suggest coverage for this caseOn the evening of June 11, 2002, at approximately 7:30 pm, a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated a pipe bomb inside the "Mifgash Ha'Sharon" shawarma restaurant, also known as "Jamil," in the Israeli coastal suburb of Herzliya. Around 30 people were present in the restaurant at the time of the attack. According to Israeli sources, the explosive device used was "relatively small," though it had been packed with nails and ball bearings. A rescue worker reported that one of the explosive devices worn by the bomber failed to detonate.
The attack resulted in the death of a 14-year-old girl, Hadar Hershkowitz, and left 15 other people injured. Israeli sources noted that earlier the same day, three Israeli high school students were injured when Palestinian militants attacked their school bus, with one student seriously hurt, and a Palestinian militant stabbed an Israeli policeman in Jerusalem.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, described as a military wing of Fatah, claimed responsibility for the bombing, stating it was carried out "in retaliation for the daily incursions by the occupation forces against the cities, towns, villages and refugee camps." A spokesman for the group identified the bomber as Omar Zayadeh, a 30-year-old Palestinian from the village of Ma'adama in the West Bank.
In the aftermath, Israeli troops demolished the bomber's home in 2003. Palestinian Media Watch, an Israel-based media watchdog organization, reported that in 2010 the Palestinian Authority built a pyramid-shaped monument in the town square of Madama in the West Bank honoring the bomber, featuring portraits of Yasser Arafat and the bomber alongside text referring to him as a "Martyrdom-Seeker" who carried out the "heroic Herzliya operation."
The attack drew official reactions from multiple parties. David Baker, an official in Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office, condemned the bombing as "another example of the Palestinians' intention to commit murder for the sake of murder." Palestinian National Authority officials condemned the attack, stating it was wrong to target innocent civilians and pledging to do their "utmost" to prevent future attacks. Senior Hamas officials, by contrast, characterized the attack as "a natural response to Israel's crimes in the territories." Israel subsequently lodged a formal complaint with the United Nations Security Council, citing the bombing as evidence of a "campaign of Palestinian terrorism" against Israeli civilians.
A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates a pipe bomb at the Mifgash Ha'Sharon (Jamil) shawarma restaurant in Herzliya, Israel, killing 14-year-old Hadar Hershkowitz and injuring 15 others.
Israeli troops demolish the home of the bomber, identified as Omar Zayadeh.
The Palestinian Authority reportedly builds a monument honoring the bomber in the town square of Madama, according to Palestinian Media Watch.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
14-year-old girl killed in the bombing at the Herzliya restaurant.[3]
Identified by Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades spokesman as the 30-year-old suicide bomber who carried out the attack; died in the bombing. No formal legal proceeding is described in the source beyond attribution of responsibility by the claiming organization.[3]
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
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