2002 Hadera Attacks

The attacks occurred during the Second Intifada, amid a sharp rise in Palestinian terrorism against Israelis. The U.S. Department of State recorded nearly 226 terrorist attacks in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza during 2002, reporting that more than 469 Israelis were killed and over 2,498 injured.[4] The term “2002 Hadera attacks” groups two separate incidents: the January shooting inside Hadera and the October bombing at the nearby Karkur junction.

Shortly before 11 p.m. on January 17, 2002, a gunman entered the Armon David events hall on Weizmann Boulevard in Hadera, where the Kardashov family was celebrating their daughter Nina's bat mitzvah.[1] The attacker, identified as Abdul Salaam Sadek Hassouneh, or Abd al-Salam Hassouna, of the Nablus area, shot the security guard at the entrance and opened fire into the crowded hall with an automatic rifle.[5][1]

Guests confronted the gunman with chairs and bottles.[1] Nearby police detectives heard the shooting, rushed to the scene, and killed him.[1] Six people were killed: Aharon Ben Israel-Elis, Dina Binyav, Edward Bakshiev, Anatoly Bakshiev, Avi Yazdi, and Boris Maliahov.[1] More than thirty wounded people were evacuated to Hillel Yaffe Hospital in Hadera and Laniado Hospital in Netanya. Twelve remained hospitalized at Hillel Yaffe shortly afterward: one in very serious condition, six in moderate-to-serious condition, and five lightly wounded.[1]

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah's military wing, claimed responsibility and named Hassouna as the attacker.[1] The group said it would continue operations against Israel in response to the killing of Raed al-Karmi, presenting the shooting as an act of revenge.[1][6]

Among the victims was American citizen Aharon Ellis.[7] His widow, Leslye Knox, brought suit on behalf of herself, their six children, and other family members. In 2006, a federal judge ordered the Palestinian Authority and the PLO to pay approximately $174 million in damages.[7]

In 2003, the Tel Aviv District Court found Nasser Oweis guilty of planning the Armon David hall attack.[8] Oweis was identified as a commander in Tanzim-Fatah and the local al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades; the court found that he had initiated, organized, and directed attacks against Israeli targets.[8] During the trial, Nina Kardashov's father, Konstantin, testified that he initially mistook the gunfire for fireworks and then joined his brother in confronting the attacker while he appeared to reload, breaking his fingers as he struck him. He also described the lasting trauma suffered by Nina and her younger brother, who received psychological and psychiatric care after the attack.[9]

A Washington Institute report on seized documents said that a letter dated September 9, 2001, showed Fatah leader Hassan al-Shaykh requesting $2,500 for three al-Aqsa operatives described as involved in the Hadera attack. A handwritten note signed by Yasir Arafat on September 19 instructed the Palestinian Authority Treasury to allocate $600 to each of the three men.[10]

On October 21, 2002, two Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists detonated a car packed with approximately 100 kilograms of explosives alongside Egged intercity bus No. 841 as it traveled from Kiryat Shmona to Tel Aviv along Route 65 toward Hadera.[11][2] The bus had pulled over at a stop to pick up passengers when an explosives-laden jeep approached from behind and exploded.[11]

Fourteen people were killed.[2] An Israeli government report names the attackers as Muhammad Fawzi Sa'adi, also identified as Hamada Hasanain, and Ashraf Salah Ahmad al-Asmar, Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives from Jenin aged 19 and 18 respectively.[2] The report says Muhammad Jaradat brought the two bombers to the attack site and identifies the organization's Jenin infrastructure, headed by Iyad Sawalha and Sayid Tubasi, as responsible for the attack.[2]

The fourteen victims listed in the government report were Osnat Abramov, 16, of Holon; Ashati Indelau, 50, of Hadera; Ofra Burger, 56, of Hod Hasharon; Suad Jaber, 23, of Taybeh; Iris Lavi, 67, of Netanya; Sergei Shavchuk, 35, of Afula; Anat Shimshon, 33, of Ra'anana; Nir Nahum, 20, of Carmiel; Liat Ben-Ami, 20, of Haifa; Eliezer Moskovitch, 40, of Petah Tikva; Sharon Tubol, 19, of Arad; Esther Pesachov, 19, of Givat Olga; Ilona Hanukayev, 20, of Hadera; and Aiman Sharuf, 20, of Ussfiyeh.[2] The government report recorded approximately 48 wounded, while the U.S. State Department reported 50.[2][4]

A Jerusalem Center account reports that after the January shooting, Israel moved tanks to within 100 meters of Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah.[12]

The Israeli judicial process resulted in the 2003 conviction of Nasser Oweis for planning the Armon David hall attack. The Tel Aviv District Court found that he had initiated, organized, and directed terrorist attacks against Israeli targets.[8]

Civil litigation also followed the death of American victim Aharon Ellis. In 2006, a federal judge ordered the Palestinian Authority and the PLO to pay approximately $174 million to Ellis's widow, their six children, and other family members.[7]

Casualty figures for the January 17 attack vary across sources. The State Department's human-rights report gives 35 wounded, while the Congressional Research Service reports 33.[4][13] A separate State Department chronology gives 25.[6] Contemporaneous Ynet reporting said more than thirty wounded people were evacuated to hospitals, while a later Ynet News account reported 35.[1][5] The six fatalities are consistently reported. The American Jewish Year Book gives two wounded totals within its own account: 20 in its narrative and 35 in its detailed incident listing.[3]

The roles attributed to additional individuals remain source-specific. Palestinian Media Watch says Mansour Shreim sent terrorists to carry out the attack and reports that he was serving fourteen life sentences and an additional fifty years.[14] Israeli security sources, as cited in a Jerusalem Center article that attributed the allegation to Yediot Ahronot, alleged that Marwan Barghouti knew about the attack in advance and gave it his blessing. The reviewed source did not independently corroborate that allegation.[15]

Wounded totals for the October 21 bombing also vary slightly. The Israeli government report gives approximately 48 wounded, while the Jewish Virtual Library reports some 50.[2][11] The State Department also reported 50 wounded.[4] All three sources report fourteen fatalities.