2001 Immanuel bus attack
| 2001 Immanuel bus attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Al-Aqsa Intifada militancy campaign | |
The attack site | |
| Location | Immanuel, West Bank |
| Date | 12 December 2001 |
Attack type | Ambush, mass murder, spree killing, bombing, shooting attack |
| Weapons | AK-47 rifles, hand grenades, a roadside bomb |
| Deaths | 11 Israeli civilians (+1 attacker) |
| Injured | 30 Israeli civilians |
| Perpetrator |
|
The 2001 Immanuel bus attack was an ambush attack by Palestinian militants targeting Israeli civilians in the West Bank on 12 December 2001; eleven passengers were killed in the attack and thirty were injured.[1]
Both the al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas)[2][3][4] and the Fatah-aligned al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack.[5]
The attack
On 12 December 2001, three armed Palestinians militants planted a roadside bomb beside the road leading to the Israeli settlement of Immanuel south of Nablus. After placing two roadside bombs, the assailants ambushed a bus on its way from Bnei Brak.[5][6][7]
Soon after, a non-armoured[3] Dan bus line 189, en route to Immanuel from Bnei Brak, approached the site as two roadside bombs exploded.[6][8] The bus, which was greatly damaged in the explosions,[3] continued to drive several hundred meters until it was immobilized. Immediately after the bus was immobilized, one of the militants approached the bus, threw hand grenades into the bus, and fired small arms on the passengers of the bus and at the vehicles arriving at the site, while the passengers attempted to flee the bus.[3][8] The passengers of three other vehicles traveling on this road at that time were also affected.[9]
Shortly after, the three attackers fired on cars near the settlement and rescue workers trying to help the victims. One gunman was run over by an army jeep and then shot dead, but the others escaped.[5][10] Palestinian officials identified the dead man as 21-year-old Asem Rihan, a Hamas member and student at Al Najah University in Nablus.[10]
11 people were killed in the attack and about 30 were injured.[6]
Official reactions
- Involved parties
- Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner said, "We hold the Palestinian authorities responsible for the activities of these terrorist group who operate in full daylight and in the full knowledge of the Palestinian Authority and continue their deadly attacks against civilian men, women and children".[11]
- The Palestinian Authority condemned the attack.[12][4]
See also
External links
- Eight killed in Palestinian attack on Israeli bus - published on the Bangor Daily News on 13 December 2001
References
- ^ Rubin, Barry; Rubin, Judith Colp (28 January 2015). Chronologies of Modern Terrorism. Routledge. p. 223. ISBN 9781317474654.
- ^ "عملية 'عمانوئيل' الأولى" [Operation Emmanuel I]. Al-Qassam Brigades (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Bus ambush brings carnage back to Israel". Independent Online. 12 December 2001. Archived from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ a b "Chronological Review of Events Relating to the Question of Palestine - Monthly media monitoring review: December 2001". United Nations. United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine. 31 December 2001. DPR/Chron/2001/12. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ^ a b c "Ten killed in West Bank ambush on Israeli bus". The Irish Times. 12 December 2001. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ^ a b c "Terrorist attack on bus at Emmanuel - 12-Dec-2001" (Press release). Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 12 December 2001. Archived from the original on 25 March 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ^ "Palestinians ambush bus – seven dead". Mail & Guardian. 1 January 2002. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ^ a b Sharagai, Nadav (13 December 2001). ""מצב פצועים: הבוקר מאושפזים 27 פצועים, 3 קשה, 5 בינוני - וואלה! חדשות". וואלה! חדשות" [The ten victims of the attack in Emanuel were brought for burial]. Walla News (in Hebrew). Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ "Ten dead, 30 wounded as Palestinians open fire on bus". CNN. 12 December 2001. Archived from the original on 25 March 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ^ a b Bennet, James; Greenberg, Joel (13 December 2001). "Palestinian Assault on Bus Kills 10; Israeli Response Is Swift". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 January 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ^ "Several dead in shooting on Israeli bus". New Straits Times. 13 December 2001. p. W8. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ Perry, Dan (13 December 2001). "Israel retaliates after Hamas attacks bus". Bangor Daily News. Associated Press. p. 1. Retrieved 16 December 2014.