Mehola Junction bombing

The Mehola Junction bombing (also known as the Beit El bombing, literally, the House of God bombing) was the first suicide car bomb attack carried out by Palestinian militants and took place on 16 April 1993.[1]

Mehola Junction bombing
The attack site
Location	Mehola Junction, occupied West Bank
Coordinates	32°22′14.72″N 35°30′29.12″E
Date	April 16, 1993 1:00 am (UTC+2)
Attack type	Suicide bombing
Deaths	2 (the bomber and a bystander)
Injured	7–9
Perpetrators	One Palestinian suicide bomber (Shahar al-Nabulsi). Hamas claimed responsibility.

Hamas bombmaker Yahya Ayyash rigged a Volkswagen Transporter using three large propane tanks and explosives collected from grenades and other ordnance. The bomb was connected to a detonator switch in the driver's controls.[2]

Hamas operative Saher Tamam al-Nabulsi drove the car to Mehola Junction, a rest area on the Jordan Valley Highway in the West Bank. Just after 1:00 AM, the car exploded between two buses, one civilian and one military.[3] The blast killed al-Nabulsi and Marwan Ghani, a Palestinian from the nearby village of Bardala who worked in a snack bar in Mehola.[3][4] Ghani's brother and eight Israeli soldiers were slightly injured.[3][4]

References

Matthew Levitt and Dennis Ross (2007). Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad (Illustrated ed.). Yale University Press. pp. 11–12. ISBN 9780300122589.
Katz (2002), p.74
Associate Press (17 April 1993). "Suicide car bomb kills 2 near West Bank restaurant". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Jerusalem Post, 18 April 1993, p1.

Katz, Samuel (2002). The Hunt for the Engineer. Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-749-1.

Prominent attacks against Israelis in the history of the Arab–Israeli conflict – the 1990s
1990	Cairo bus attack (February 4) Assassination of Meir Kahane (November 5) Ein Netafim ambush (November 26)
1992	Night of the Pitchforks (February 14) Attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires (March 17) Murder of Helena Rapp (May 24) Kidnapping and murder of Nissim Toledano (December 13)
1993	Mehola Junction bombing (April 16) Kidnapping and murder of Yaron Chen (August 5)
1994	Afula Bus suicide bombing (April 6) Hadera central station suicide bombing (April 13) Attack on the Israeli Embassy in London (July 26) Kidnapping and murder of Nachshon Wachsman (October 14) Dizengoff Street bus bombing (October 19) Netzarim Junction bicycle bombing (November 11) Afula axe attack (November 30)
1995	Beit Lid massacre (January 22) Kfar Darom bus attack (April 9) Ramat Gan bus bombing (July 24) Jerusalem bus 26 bombing (August 21)
1996	First Jerusalem bus 18 suicide bombing (February 25) ‡ Second Jerusalem bus 18 suicide bombing (March 3) Dizengoff Center suicide bombing (March 4) Murder of Yaron and Efrat Ungar (June 9)
1997	Island of Peace massacre (March 13) Café Apropo bombing (March 21) Mahane Yehuda Market Bombings (July 30) Ben Yehuda Street Bombing (September 4)
Attacks launched from the West Bank Attacks launched from the Gaza Strip Attacks launched from Lebanon Attacks launched from Jordan Attacks launched from Egypt ‡ indicates the terrorist attack which caused the greatest amount of Israeli casualties during the 1990s Full list of Palestinian suicide attacks Full list of Lebanese rocket attacks on Israel 1980s 2000s

Prominent Palestinian militancy attacks in the 1990s
Within Israel	Night of the Pitchforks (February 14, 1992) Murder of Helena Rapp (May 24, 1992) Kidnapping and murder of Nissim Toledano (December 13, 1992) Afula Bus suicide bombing² (April 6, 1994) Hadera central station suicide bombing (April 13, 1994) Kidnapping and murder of Nachshon Wachsman² (October 14, 1994) Dizengoff Street bus bombing (October 19, 1994) Afula axe attack² (November 30, 1994) Beit Lid massacre (January 22, 1995) Kfar Darom bus attack³ (April 9, 1995) Ramat Gan bus bombing² (July 24, 1995) Jerusalem bus 26 bombing (August 21, 1995) First Jerusalem bus 18 suicide bombing (February 25, 1996) Second Jerusalem bus 18 suicide bombing (March 3, 1996) Dizengoff Center suicide bombing (March 4, 1996) Murder of Yaron and Efrat Ungar (June 9, 1996) Café Apropo bombing (March 21, 1997) Mahane Yehuda Market Bombings (July 30, 1997) Ben Yehuda Street Bombing (September 4, 1997)
West Bank	Mehola Junction bombing (April 16, 1993) Kidnapping and murder of Yaron Chen (August 5, 1993)
Gaza Strip	Netzarim Junction bicycle bombing (November 11, 1994)
¹ Attacks launched from Lebanon ² Attacks launched from the West Bank ³ Attacks launched from the Gaza strip 1980s 2000s

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