The Megiddo Junction bus bombing was the
suicide bombing of an
Egged bus at
Megiddo Junction in northern
Israel on June 5, 2002. 17 people were killed and 43 wounded, the majority of them IDF soldiers.
The Palestinian Islamist militant organization
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.
Attack
On 5 June 2002, a Palestinian
suicide bomber drove a Renault van loaded with dozens of kilograms of explosives to
Highway 65. At Megiddo Junction, he approached Egged bus no. 830, filled with passengers, traveling from
Tel Aviv to
Tiberias. At 7:15 am, the bomber detonated the explosive device near the fuel tank of the bus, causing it to burst into flames.[1] According to a member of the rescue crew, people were thrown out of the bus by the force of the bomb and rescuers could not board the vehicle immediately due to the extreme heat.[2]
The blast killed 13 Israeli soldiers and four civilians.[3] 43 passengers were injured, most of them soldiers.[4]
Perpetrators and retaliation
After the attack the Palestinian Islamist terror organization
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack and stated that the attack was carried out by an 18-year-old Palestinian named Hamza Samudi who originated from
Jenin and had taken driving lessons four days before the attack, especially for this mission. In response, Israeli forces put
Yasser Arafat under siege in his
Ramallah compound once again.[5]
Iyad Sawalha, the perpetrator who assembled the car bomb, was eliminated by
IDF special forces from
Sayeret Golani and
Unit Egoz on November 9.[6]