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Carmel Market bombing

On 1 November 2004, a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, killing three civilians and injuring over 50 others. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility.

SOLVED2004

Carmel Market, Tel Aviv

3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Carmel Market Tel Aviv Yafo - 1
Carmel Market Tel Aviv Yafo - 1 — Credit: andynash · CC BY-SA 2.0

On the morning of Monday, 1 November 2004, shortly after 11:00 am, a suicide bombing occurred at the Carmel Market, located in the heart of Tel Aviv's business district. A Palestinian suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt hidden beneath his clothing detonated the device at the market. The blast killed three civilians and injured more than 50 people, with some reporting over 30 injured directly from the blast.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a Palestinian Marxist–Leninist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group stated that the bombing was carried out by a 16-year-old Palestinian named Amar Alfar, who it said originated from the city of Nablus in the West Bank.

In the aftermath of the attack, official reactions came from multiple involved parties. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman urged the Palestinian Authority to take action against armed militants. On the Palestinian side, Palestinian National Authority leader Yasser Arafat condemned the attack and called on both Palestinians and Israelis to refrain from killing civilians. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei also called for an end to Palestinian suicide bombings.

Key facts

Victims
On file
Date
2004
Location
Carmel Market, Tel Aviv
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2004-11-01

    A Palestinian suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv shortly after 11:00 am, killing three civilians and injuring over 50 people. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine later claimed responsibility for the attack.

Best coverage

No coverage has been attached to this file yet.

People

  • Amar Alfar

    CHARGED

    Identified by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine as the 16-year-old suicide bomber who carried out the attack; no independent judicial confirmation of identity is documented in the available source.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • Tel Aviv map-plain

    other document

    Tel Aviv map-plain

    Credit: User:Sambach · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Source

  • Carmel Market Tel Aviv Yafo - 1

    archival location

    Carmel Market Tel Aviv Yafo - 1

    Credit: andynash · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

Places

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On 1 November 2004, a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, killing three civilians and injuring over 50 others. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility.
Where did the bombing happen?
Carmel Market, Tel Aviv.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICCarmel Market bombingWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The GuardianThe Guardian · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 07, 2026

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