Solved case · 2005
The short answer
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.
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Suggest coverage for July 2005 HaSharon Mall suicide bombingOn the evening of July 12, 2005, a suicide bombing occurred at a pedestrian crossing outside the HaSharon Mall in the center of Netanya, Israel. An 18-year-old Palestinian student, identified as Ahmad Abu-Halil and reported to be from the West Bank village of Attil, approached the mall wearing explosives concealed beneath his clothing. At approximately 6:35 pm, he approached a group of four young women who were crossing the road and detonated the device.
The attack occurred during evening rush hour at a busy intersection near the shopping center. Three women were killed at the scene. An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) corporal and another woman subsequently died of injuries sustained in the blast, bringing the total number of civilians killed to five. Approximately 90 people were injured, with five described as seriously wounded. The explosion also damaged nearby vehicles and shattered some of the mall's windows.
Local police stated afterward that the bomber had carried approximately 10 kilograms of explosives, along with nails and metal pellets, in an explosive belt strapped to his body — a method intended to maximize shrapnel injuries to bystanders. Netanya's mayor, Miriam Fierberg, was reported to be present at the scene of the attack and began assisting injured victims immediately.
The Palestinian Islamist militant organization Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed responsibility for the bombing, stating that it had been carried out by Abu-Halil. No individual has been reported as charged, convicted, or otherwise adjudicated in a court proceeding in connection with this attack, as the perpetrator died in the bombing itself.
This attack was one of several bombings associated with the HaSharon Mall area in Netanya during this period, including a separate bombing in 2001 and another in December 2005. Contemporaneous coverage of the July 2005 bombing was also published by CNN and by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (mfa.gov.il).
A suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt near a pedestrian crossing outside the HaSharon Mall in Netanya, Israel, at approximately 6:35 pm, killing three women immediately.
An IDF corporal and another woman subsequently died of injuries sustained in the bombing, bringing the death toll to five civilians; about 90 others were injured.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
18-year-old Palestinian student from Attil identified by Islamic Jihad as the individual who carried out the suicide bombing; died in the attack and was not subject to a criminal legal proceeding.[3]
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