Solved case · 1995
Also known as Beit Lid massacre
במחנה-גיליון 8-הפיגוע בצומת בית לידCredit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit photographerCC BY-SA 3.0SourceThe short answer
On January 22, 1995, two Palestinian Islamic Jihad suicide bombers detonated explosives seconds apart at a crowded bus stop at the Beit Lid junction in central Israel, killing 21 soldiers and one civilian and wounding dozens.
No one's coverage is attached to this file yet.
Know great coverage of this case?
A documentary, a podcast episode, a careful long-form video. Suggest it and an editor will review it before it appears here.
Suggest coverage for Beit Lid suicide bombingOn the morning of January 22, 1995, at approximately 9:30 am, a bus stop at the Beit Lid junction in central Israel was crowded with soldiers returning to their bases after weekend leave. A suicide bomber disguised as an Israeli soldier walked into the crowd and detonated an explosives belt. About three minutes later, a second suicide bomber detonated a second device at the same location, killing and injuring people who had been wounded in the first blast as well as bystanders who had rushed in to help. In total, 21 soldiers and one civilian were killed. This was the first suicide attack carried out by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The Beit Lid junction was a well-known crossroads on Highway 4 between Tel Aviv and Haifa, a major waypoint toward Netanya. On Sunday mornings the area was typically filled with thousands of young soldiers and reservists returning to duty. Ashmoret Prison, located in the southwest corner of the junction, was at the time holding Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin.
According to the account, the bombs used in the attack were built by Hamas's bombmaker Yahya Ayyash, who had previously formed an operational alliance with Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative Hani Abed in 1994 (Abed was later assassinated by Israel). Each of the three bombs prepared for the attack was constructed from a foot-long, eight-inch-wide plumber's pipe packed with five kilograms of military-grade TNT and surrounded by nails.
A third bomb, intended for use by a third suicide bomber who never reached the junction, was left behind in a kit bag. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin toured the bombing site the day after the attack and walked within yards of this bag without it being immediately identified as a threat. The unused bomb had reportedly been intended for an attempt on Rabin's life and on the Shabak (Israeli internal security) agents accompanying him. The device was later recovered and provided investigators with further evidence implicating Ayyash in the attack.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative Hani Abed brokers an operational alliance between Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; Hamas bombmaker Yahya Ayyash later builds three bombs for use in the Beit Lid attack.
At approximately 9:30 am, a first suicide bomber disguised as an Israeli soldier detonates explosives at the Beit Lid bus stop; a second bomber detonates roughly three minutes later at the same location, killing 21 soldiers and one civilian.
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin tours the bombing site, passing near a kit bag later found to contain a third, undetonated bomb.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
No public people records are attached to this file yet.
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
Are you family of someone named in this file? Corrections and removal requests from victims’ families are prioritized.
SOLVEDListenHaSharon Mall, Netanya, Israel · 2000s
A Palestinian suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt near the HaSharon Mall in Netanya, Israel, on July 12, 2005, killing five civilians and injuring about 90 others. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
SOLVEDListenNetanya open-air market, Netanya, Israel · 2000s
A suicide bombing at the entrance to Netanya's main open-air fruit and vegetable market on 19 May 2002 killed three civilians and injured dozens; Hamas and the PFLP both claimed responsibility, and several people were later convicted for their roles in facilitating the attack.
Credit: צביקה גולן / IDF Spokesperson's UnitCC BY-SA 3.0SourceSOLVEDListenBusiness district, Netanya, Israel · 2000s
A suicide bombing in the business district of Netanya, Israel, on March 4, 2001, killed three civilians and injured over 60 others; Hamas claimed responsibility.
Credit: Bart Molendijk / AnefoCC BY-SA 3.0 NLSourceSOLVEDListenSriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, India · 1991
Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber tied to the LTTE at a campaign rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, on 21 May 1991, along with 14 other people. Twenty-six people were convicted at trial; the Supreme Court later reduced death sentences to four, and in 2022 the Supreme Court ordered the release of the last six convicts still imprisoned.
Credit: Jeanne Boleyn ( talk )Public domainSourceUNSOLVEDListenMarket Street, Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland · 1998
A car bomb planted by the Real IRA exploded in Omagh, County Tyrone, on 15 August 1998, killing 29 people and injuring about 220, the deadliest single incident of the Troubles.
Credit: DGtalCC BY-SA 4.0SourceSOLVEDListenRoute 383 (Kiryat Malachi-Beit Shemesh road) near moshav Gefen · 1996
Yaron and Efrat Ungar, a married Israeli couple, were shot and killed in a drive-by attack near Beit Shemesh, Israel, on June 9, 1996, while their one-year-old son, who was in the car, survived.
