2002 Metzer Attack

Kibbutz Metzer sits a few hundred meters from the Green Line in northern Israel, placing it close to Israeli Arab villages and Palestinian communities in the West Bank — known by its original, indigenous Jewish name of Judea and Samaria.[2] Before the attack, residents had cultivated longstanding ties with Arab neighbors on both sides of the line. Weddings, funerals, and work were shared with neighboring communities, and residents had opposed a proposed route for the security barrier because they feared it would divide communities and harm Arab residents' livelihoods.[3][2]

The attack occurred amid a period of repeated terrorist violence during the Second Intifada.[1] Several hours before the Metzer shooting, two Palestinian men in a taxi near the Vered quarries, close to the kibbutz, detonated explosives as Border Police officers tried to stop the vehicle. Both men were killed, and no Israelis were wounded.[2] Investigators examined a possible link between that incident and the later attack, but a police commander said there was "no clear connection."[2]

At approximately 23:30 on the night of November 10, 2002, a gunman entered Kibbutz Metzer and opened fire near the dining hall.[2] Tirza Damari, 42, of Elyachin, was shot while walking with a companion and later died of her wounds. Her companion escaped and hid for hours in a cowshed.[2] The kibbutz security coordinator fired at the attacker but apparently did not hit him.[2]

Revital Ohayon, 34, ran to her children's room after hearing the disturbance and held her sons, Matan, 5, and Noam, 4. The attacker entered the home and killed all three.[1][4] Kibbutz secretary Yitzhak "Itzik" Dori, 44, drove toward the scene after hearing the shooting and was killed before the gunman fled.[2][4]

Security forces searched the surrounding area while residents were confined to their homes. The lockdown was lifted at 9:00 the following morning, although searches continued.[4] The attacker appeared to have escaped toward the Palestinian village of Qaffin.[2] Accounts differed on his precise entry time and route: Ynet placed the entry at approximately 23:30 and reported that no breach was found in the fence, suggesting he may have climbed over it, while Globes gave a time of 23:40 and said he entered through the fence.[2][4]

Five Israeli civilians were murdered in the attack.[1] Tirza Damari, 42, of Elyachin, was shot near the dining hall. Yitzhak Dori, 44, the kibbutz secretary, was killed after driving toward the scene in response to the emergency.[2] Revital Ohayon, 34, and her sons Matan, 5, and Noam, 4, were killed inside their home.[1][2] Contemporary accounts described Ohayon running to the children's room and holding them immediately before the gunman entered.[4]

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, described in contemporary reports as Fatah's armed wing, claimed responsibility for the attack.[1][2] In the days that followed, Israeli security officials identified Sarhan Shrahbil Sarhan, 19, of Tulkarm, as a suspect. They described him as a Tanzim activist who had already been wanted in connection with shooting attacks.[5] Palestinian sources also said his name had been raised during an inquiry by Palestinian Authority and Fatah figures.[5]

Israeli officials identified senior Fatah figure Muhammad Naifeh as responsible for dispatching the attacker.[5] Palestinian Media Watch later reported that Naifeh, also known as "Abu Rabia," was serving 13 life sentences for involvement in the Metzer killings and other attacks.[6] The Foundation for Defense of Democracies similarly identified Mohammed Naifeh as the planner of the Metzer attack.[7]

A subsequent indictment alleged that Ahmed Kabahe, 19, sheltered Sarhan after the attack and hid his M16 rifle. According to the reported allegations, Sarhan later retrieved the weapon, and another suspect transferred it to Fatah members in Tulkarm.[8] Sarhan was killed in Tulkarm on October 4, 2003, during an operation involving Yamam, the IDF, and the Shin Bet. Forces acting on intelligence located a vehicle carrying three armed Palestinians, including Sarhan, and opened fire; the other two men reportedly escaped.[9] Palestinian sources reported that a nine-year-old boy was also killed during the operation.[9]

The attack deeply shook Metzer, damaging residents' sense of security and challenging earlier assumptions about coexistence.[3] In the immediate aftermath, residents gathered in the dining hall to meet community and security officials.[2] Nevertheless, kibbutz representative Dov Avital said the community would not allow the killing to change its way of life.[3]

Metzer later arranged a donation of 10 tons of wheat for the neighboring Palestinian village of Qaffin and pursued a joint greenhouse project, contingent on permits allowing Qaffin residents to cross the security barrier and work.[3] Another account described plans for broader agricultural cooperation and a memorial plaque bearing a prayer for Israelis and their neighbors to live in peace.[10]

The completion of the security barrier significantly changed contact between Metzer and Qaffin. Before its construction, the communities were about a 15-minute walk apart; afterward, travel required a roughly 20-minute drive and depended on passage through an IDF checkpoint.[3] The barrier also separated Qaffin farmers from part of their agricultural land and created difficulties in obtaining access to their fields.[3]

At a United Nations General Assembly committee meeting on November 14, 2002, Israel's representative described Metzer as a kibbutz that "usually cooperated with its Arab neighbours."[11] Yasser Arafat stated that he had ordered an investigation and would seek to arrest the attacker.[4]

Sources differ on several details of the attack. The Jewish Virtual Library dates it to November 10, 2002, while Palestinian Media Watch gives November 11.[6][1] The November 10 date is also consistent with contemporary Ynet and Globes reporting.[2][4]

A 2006 Ynet News article contained conflicting death tolls within the same report: its subtitle said four people were killed, while the body reported five, including a mother and her two sons.[3] The figure of five is supported by the named-victim list in the Jewish Virtual Library and by contemporary reports.[1][4]

At the November 2002 United Nations committee meeting, the Palestinian representative characterized the incident as a suicide attack and said the Palestinian Authority had condemned attacks on civilians. Israel's representative explicitly disputed that characterization, stating that one individual entered the kibbutz and committed the murders.[11] These were competing statements by delegates rather than independent findings by the committee.

Reports also relayed an unconfirmed assessment that the attackers may have mistaken Metzer for a settlement rather than a kibbutz inside the Green Line with a history of coexistence.[4] The mayor of Qaffin expressed uncertainty about the attacker's identity while suggesting a possible revenge motive connected to confiscated land.[10] Security reports subsequently identified Sarhan as the attacker, but the proposed motive and mistaken-identity explanation were not conclusively established.[4][5]