Posted on 10/07/2004 5:25:01 PM PDT by zyaakov
Israeli Vacationers in Egypt Targeted in Mega-Attacks
Explosions rocked the Taba Hilton, near Egypt's border with Israel - as well as two other camping areas in a multi-pronged terrorist attack Thursday. Many Israelis on vacation are among the victims.
Israeli police report that 30 Israelis were killed in the terrorist attack at the Taba Hilton. One Israeli was reportedly killed in the Nueba attack, along with many injuries.
64 Israel wounded in the Taba attack were evacuated to Eilat's Yoseftal Hospital, which is near the border crossing. Tens of others were airlifted to hospitals in Be'er Sheva and the Tel Aviv region.
Egypt was initially uncooperative, hampering Israeli efforts to assist in the rescue efforts.
Arabic news agencies are reporting 114 injured in the attack on the Taba hotel, which was predominately populated by Israeli vacationers.
Those wounded in Nueba, a popular camping site for young Israelis, are reportedly being brought to Egyptian hospitals. There is also a U.S. Army base in the area but it is unclear whether the Americans have openned their medical facilities to treat the wounded.
Despite the Egyptian media's continued insistance that the Taba explosion may have been caused by a gas leak, Israel Police suspect the explosion was carried out using a truck, packed with explosives and parked beneath the hotel.
Egged busses are being used to evacuate the injured as the large numbers rendered the supply of ambulances insufficient. Residents of Eilat have been called upon to donate blood.
The hotel, which was filled to capacity, caught fire following a massive explosion and some victims were trapped underneath the rubble of sections of the building that collapsed. Two people have been rescued from beneath the rubble so far.
There are also preliminary reports of two more blasts in the Egyptian towns of Ras al-Satan and Nueba, resort towns also frequented by Israelis.
Arabic Radio reported that Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. Conflicting reports point to either a car bomb or a suicide bomb attack.
Egyptian news agencies are reporting over 100 injured have be brought to hospitals in Egypt.
According to a Reshet Bet News Radio report, interviewing an Israeli present outside the Taba Hilton, the damage from the blast is significant, adding the situation is one of general panic and hysteria. Many Israelis are reported in the hotel area, and there is a power outage, further hampering rescue efforts.
Despite several warnings to refrain from vacationing in Egypt, Israelis have flocked to hotels in Sinai during the past month's holidays.
The Foreign Ministry has declared a State of Emergency. Magen David Adom has issued a call for people to donate blood. Call 1-800-400-101 for details on local sites for blood donation.
The following are the emergency information numbers for hospital's receiving victims of the attack: Hotline set up by the Eilat municipality: 08-636-7106 (From outside Israel: 972-8-636-7106) Yoseftal Hospital: 12-55-175 Soroka Medical Center: 12-55-177 Tel HaShomer Hospital: 12-55-131
What is an "egged bus"?....
Egged is a bus company in Israel.
Religion of Peace ping
Bastards.
I was in Eilat this summer. Just for one day of SCUBA. Didn't cross into Egypt. Israeli and Egyptian companies offer trips to the Egyptian Sinai from Eilat, for dive trips as well as for desert recreation.
I am deeply sympathetic to the injured and the dead, and to their families. But what on EARTH possessed Jews from Israel to go to Egypt for a vacation? Talk about asking for trouble! I'm not Jewish but I wouldn't even dream of going to Egypt. I know where I'm not welcome.
Ping!
do again: recall, "... and my first and only act as President for Ten Seconds will be to NUKE ARAFAT!"
"What on EARTH possessed Jews from Israel to go to Egypt for a vacation ?"
Probably LOW - LOW PRICES...
Would it be fighting fire with fire if clandestine operatives, with absolute deniability, perpetrated a large terror incident in the midst of the Hajj proceedings in Saudi? Or how about at one of the worldwide staging areas for the Hajj? Secondly, since Israel gets blamed by Muslims for everything anyway, what would be wrong with it being an Israeli operation? "Assymmetrical" is certainly a good word for how this World War IV is going presently. I think it is time for those dimensions to change. Somebody's gotta have the courage to try something, because I hate losing good people to these filthy, worthless bastards. 'Mutually-assured destruction' was an ironically good policy; it's time we showed those boys that they're even more vulnerable than we are to cowardly attacks.
I wouldn't want to go to Egypt either. I remember reading somewhere that it's the hottest place commonly visited by tourists, and I hate hot. Plus, although the crime rate is pretty low for Eqyptians, tourists there have been massacred time and again, and not just Israelis.
As to why, Israelis went, well, its a casino. Also, it is right on the Israeli border, you don't even have to show your passport to go there, so I guess it didn't seem foreign -- although the two smaller bombings were deeper into Eqypt. Also, I don't know the stats, but while a lot of the gamblers are Jews, a lot are Israelis Arabs. This might have given a false sense of safety.
There is an Israeli government safety advisory against travel to Egypt, but, well, before tonight one might argue that Israel was more dangerous. Personlly, I would think that in Israel, at least if you get wounded, you'll get good medical care. Of course the injured at the border hotel and mostly going to Israeli hospitals.
Egged is Israel's national bus company.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.