Haifa bus explosion claims 14 lives (UPDATE)

The Jerusalem Post ^ | 5 March 2003 | DAVID RUDGE

[anotherview]

Mar. 5, 2003
Haifa bus attack death toll rises to 15
By DAVID RUDGE

A suicide bomber ripped apart an Egged bus in the northern coastal city of Haifa on Wednesday killing 15 people and wounding more than 30, police and rescue officials said.

Ambulances raced to the scene and rushed the wounded to three local hospitals, Rambam, Carmel and Bnai Tzion.

The blast on a main traffic artery in Haifa occurred on bus no. 37 at about 2 p.m. local time as the bus was pulling out of a station on Moriyah Street, headed from the Bat Galim neighborhood toward the University of Haifa.

Northern police commander Ya'akov Borovsky said the bombing was a terror attack perpetrated by a suicide bomber, who apparently was on the bus. The authorities are still investigating where he alighted the vehicle, Borovsky said.

"Unfortunately this is a very bad attack," Borovsky told reporters, as the attack came when the bus was packed with commuters. "The bus is completely ruined, it was a very powerful blast."

Officials said 15 people were dead and more than 30 wounded. Five people were listed in serious condition at Carmel Hospital.

For hours after the attack, television stations showed heart-rending scenes from the blast site of Israelis coming to search for next of kin they feared were on the bus. One man found that two high school boys, at least one of whom was his son, were wounded, Channel 2 television reported.

Witnesses said the roof of the bus was blown off and that the bus caught fire, but the fire was extinguished, leaving the vehicle in ruins but not charred.

One witness reported terrible scenes of body parts strewn across the street and bodies still in the wreckage of the bus. Residents said that many windows of buildings nearby were shattered.

Ronen Cohen was doing someone's hair in a beauty salon on the street when the explosion occurred. "In my whole life I have never heard such a blast," he said.

"I saw the driver jump from the vehicle to run and get help. I was frozen, just couldn't move to do anything, I was so frightened," Cohen went on. Then when he turned around he saw "a piece of fesh right beside me."

"Anyone who hasn't been at the site of a bombing just cannot imagine what it is like," Cohen said, noting that he had never before witnessed any terror attack.

Ovadia Saar, who was driving another bus just behind the one that was attacked, said he saw "the back of the bus fly into the air, and the windows blew out and a great cloud of dust covered the bus."

"I got out and ran toward the bus. It was a horrible sight," Saar said.

It was the first mass terror attack in Israel since a twin suicide bombing killed 23 people at the old Tel Aviv central bus station on January 5.

David Baker, an official in the Prime Minister's office said, "The Haifa attack was another brutal assault against innocent Israeli civilians. Israel will continue to rage a relentless and merciless war against this type of terror and those were perpetrate it and do whatever is necessary to protect its citizens".

"Once again the bestial hand of Palestinian terrorism has struck at the heart of Israel," said Mark Sofer, a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat condemned "any attack that is targeting civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli. But he added: "We reject the Israel government finger-pointing that the Palestinian Authority is responsible."

Hamas spokesman Abdel Aziz Rantisi issued a statement in Gaza praising the bombing but stopped short of claiming responsibility for the attack.

"We will not stop our resistance," Rantisi said. "We are not going to give up in the face of the daily killing" of Palestinians.

[maestro]

Prayers!

[Oldeconomybuyer]

At least 15 killed, 40 wounded in suicide bombing on Haifa bus
At least 10 in serious condition; blast tore roof off bus on city's main Moriah Boulevard; last suicide attack was 2 months ago in Tel Aviv

[sheik yerbouty]

Push the jihadist sand nazis into the sea!

[ConservativeConvert]

If Israel is smart they will use the Iraq War as an opportunity to ruthlessly crush the Palestinians. There is no difference between the terrorists and the Palestinian people...they are one and the same. They need to be brutally put down. Time to take the gloves off and snap the spine of Pali "resistance".

[Slip18]

It's on FOX now. It was a brutal attack.

[Da Mav]

First one of these in a couple of months. Remember when suicide bombings were occurring every other day last year and the liberals warned everyone that if Sharon invaded the West Bank it would "increase the violence"?

We will never be able to eliminate terrorism by individuals, but I think Sharon has done a pretty decent job of demonstrating how it can be brought down to more manageable proportions.

[jimtorr]

Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat condemned "any attack that is targeting civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli. But he added: "We reject the Israel government finger-pointing that the Palestinian Authority is responsible."

Saeb, I hold you personally responsible. Are you the Palestinian minister of terror-bombing, or something?

[bvw]

From Israel Insider:

03/05 16:30
Death toll in Haifa attack rises to 15

03/05 16:20
Israel will limit its response to Haifa attack due to U.S. plans for Iraq

03/05 15:30
Sharon blames PA for Haifa terror attack

03/05 14:40
Explosion on bus in central Haifa

Bush tossed the rabid dogs of hate a bone -- they then have killed 15 and more to come ....

The Sages teach us, mercy on the cruel ends up being cruelty on the merciful.

[Thinkin' Gal]

>>>Said R. Simeon: 'At the time when the dead will be awakened and be in readiness for the resurrection in the Holy Land, legions upon legions will arise on the soil of Galilee, as it is there that the Messiah is destined to reveal himself. For that is the portion of Joseph, and it was the first part of the Holy Land to be destroyed, and it was thence that the exile of Israel and their dispersion among the nations began, as Scripture says, "but they are not grieved for the hurt of Joseph" (Amos vi, 6). <<<

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/856829/posts

One witness reported terrible scenes of body parts strewn across the street and bodies still in the wreckage of the bus. Residents said that many windows of buildings nearby were shattered.

Bus no. 37.

Eze 37

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

[vikingcelt]

"manageable proportions"???!!! This reminds me of P.J. O'Rourke writing about Northern Ireland and "an acceptable level of violence"...there is absolutely nothing "manageable" about innocent children being obliterated on a bus by the palestinian scum of the earth.

[Alouette]

Meanwhile, "poor, oppressed" Palestinians hold a mock trial in which they sentence to death President Bush for "crimes against humanity"

[anotherview]

Remember when suicide bombings were occurring every other day last year and the liberals warned everyone that if Sharon invaded the West Bank it would "increase the violence"?

We will never be able to eliminate terrorism by individuals, but I think Sharon has done a pretty decent job of demonstrating how it can be brought down to more manageable proportions. Why do you think Ariel Sharon was reelected by an overwhelming margin? Why does Likud now have 40 seats in the Knesset despite a corruption scandal? Exactly the reasons you state, of course.

[anotherview]

03/05 16:20
Israel will limit its response to Haifa attack due to U.S. plans for Iraq

I wish President Bush would stop restricting the Israeli government from doing what needs to be done, which is to reoccupy the territories, shut down the PA, route the terrorists, and then start all over at finding new Palestinian leaders. Finance Minister Netanyahu understands the need for this. I think even the Prime Minister understands the need, but dares not cross the Bush administration.

America is a great friend of Israel. I have no doubt about that. There comes a time, though, when we must say enough!

[anotherview]

In principle I agree with you. However, Prime Minister Sharon's policies are much more effective than former Prime Minister Barak's negotiation under fire. No, there is no acceptable level of death. However, if Ariel Sharon's policies result in fewer Israeli deaths I am all for them.

[dennisw]

Yahoo! News Photo Matches

1 - 20 of 27 | Next 7 >

	Police and religious volunteers carry a victim on a stretcher at the scene of a bus bombing in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, Wednesday, March 5, 2003. A suicide bomber blew himself up aboard a crowded bus in Haifa Wednesday killing at least 15, wounding dozens and ending a two-month lull in suicide bombings in Israel, officials said. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner) - Mar 05 12:39 PM ET
	Wounded are treated at the scene of a bus bombing in the northern Israeli city of Haifa on Wednesday, March 5, 2003. A suicide bomber blew up aboard a crowded bus in Haifa Wednesday killing at least 15, wounding dozens and ending a two-month lull in suicide bombings in Israel. (AP Photo/Ronen Lidor) - Mar 05 12:12 PM ET
	Police and religious volunteers remove a covered body from a bus bombed in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, Wednesday, March 5, 2003. A suicide bomber blew up aboard a crowded bus in Haifa Wednesday killing at least 15, wounding dozens and ending a two-month lull in suicide bombings in Israel. (AP Photo/Eitan Hess-Ashkenazi) - Mar 05 12:14 PM ET
	A wounded man is evacuated from the scene of a bus bombing in the northern Israeli city of Haifa on Wednesday, March 5, 2003. A suicide bomber blew up aboard a crowded bus in Haifa Wednesday killing at least 15, wounding dozens and ending a two-month lull in suicide bombings in Israel. (AP Photo/Ronen Lidor) - Mar 05 12:10 PM ET
	An injured Israeli woman is rushed away from the scene where a bus exploded in the Israeli town of Haifa, March 5, 2003. The first Palestinian suicide bombing in two months tore apart a crowded bus in the Israeli port city of Haifa on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and injuring about 30, police and medical workers said. (ISRAEL OUT) (NO ARCHIVE) REUTERS/Ronen Lidor - Mar 05 12:11 PM ET
	Israeli rescue workers run past the burned out wreckage of a bus in the Israeli town of Haifa, March 5, 2003. The first Palestinian suicide bombing in two months tore apart a crowded bus in the Israeli port city of Haifa on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and injuring about 30, police and medical workers said. (ISRAEL OUT) (NO ARCHIVE) REUTERS/Ronen Lidor - Mar 05 12:00 PM ET
	An injured Israeli is rushed away from the scene where a bus exploded in the Israeli town of Haifa March 5, 2003. The first Palestinian suicide bombing in two months tore apart a crowded bus in the Israeli port city of Haifa on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and injuring about 30, police and medical workers said. (ISRAEL OUT, NO ARCHIVE) REUTERS/Ronen Lidor - Mar 05 12:02 PM ET
	Israeli policemen run past a blown-up bus in the Israeli town of Haifa, March 5, 2003. The first Palestinian suicide bombing in two months tore apart a crowded bus in the Israeli port city of Haifa on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and injuring about 30, police and medical workers said. (ISRAEL OUT, NO ARCHIVE) REUTERS/Ronen Lidor - Mar 05 11:56 AM ET
	Israeli policemen run past a the burnt out wreckage of a bus in the Israeli town of Haifa, March 5, 2003. The first Palestinian suicide bombing in two months tore apart a crowded bus in the Israeli port city of Haifa on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and injuring about 30, police and medical workers said. (ISRAEL OUT) (NO ARCHIVE) REUTERS/Ronen Lidor - Mar 05 11:51 AM ET
	Police and religious volunteers work inside the charred skeleton of a bus bombed in the northern Israeli city of Haifa Wednesday March 5, 2003. A suicide bomber blew up aboard a crowded bus in Haifa Wednesday killing at least 15, wounding dozens and ending a two-month lull in suicide bombings in Israel. (AP Photo/Eitan Hess-Ashkenazi) - Mar 05 11:50 AM ET
	Injured Israelis receive first aid at the scene where a bus exploded in the Israeli town of Haifa, March 5, 2003. The first Palestinian suicide bombing in two months tore apart a crowded bus in the Israeli port city of Haifa on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and injuring about 30, police and medical workers said. REUTERS/Ronen Lidor (ISRAEL OUT, NO ARCHIVE) - Mar 05 11:55 AM ET
	Police and religious volunteers work at the scene of a bus bombing in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, Wednesday, March 5, 2003. A suicide bomber blew up aboard a crowded bus in Haifa Wednesday killing at least 15, wounding dozens and ending a two-month lull in suicide bombings in Israel. (AP Photo/Eitan Hess-Ashkenazi) - Mar 05 11:43 AM ET
	A rescue works near the victim a bus blast, in the northern Israeli city of Haifa March 5, 2003. The first Palestinian suicide bombing in two months tore apart the packed bus killing at least 15 people and wounding about 40, police said. The explosion ripped the roof off the bus, turned the vehicle into a charred wreck and hurled bodies out onto a main street at the entrance to the Carmeliya neighborhood in Israel's third largest city. (Nir Elias/Reuters) - Mar 05 11:05 AM ET
	A rescue works near the victim a bus blast, in the northern Israeli city of Haifa March 5, 2003. The first Palestinian suicide bombing in two months tore apart the packed bus killing at least 15 people and wounding about 40, police said. The explosion ripped the roof off the bus, turned the vehicle into a charred wreck and hurled bodies out onto a main street at the entrance to the Carmeliya neighborhood in Israel's third largest city. Photo by Nir Elias/Reuters - Mar 05 11:06 AM ET
	Police and religious volunteers inspect the charred bus bombed in the northern Israeli city of Haifa Wednesday March 5, 2003. A suicide bomber blew himself up aboard the crowded bus, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens in the first suicide bombing in Israel in two months, officials said. (AP Photo/Eitan Hess-Ashkenazi) - Mar 05 10:56 AM ET
	Police and religious volunteers work at the scene of a bus bombing in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, Wednesday, March 5, 2003.A suicide bomber blew himself up aboard the crowded bus, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens in the first suicide bombing in Israel in two months, officials said. (AP Photo/Eitan Hess-Ashkenazi) - Mar 05 10:56 AM ET
	Police forensic officers and religious volunteers remove a covered body from a bus bombed in the northern Israeli city of Haifa Wednesday March 5, 2003. The blast killed at least 14, and wounde dozens. (AP Photo/Eitan Hess-Ashkenazi) - Mar 05 10:38 AM ET
	Rescue workers remove a body from the scene of a blown-up bus in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, March 5, 2003. The first Palestinian suicide bombing in two months tore apart a crowded bus in the Israeli port city of Haifa, killing at least 10 people and injuring about 30. REUTERS/Nir Elias - Mar 05 10:13 AM ET
	A rescue worker searches the scene of a blown-up bus, beside a covered body, in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, March 5, 2003. The first Palestinian suicide bombing in two months tore apart a crowded bus in the Israeli port city of Haifa, killing at least 10 people and injuring about 30. REUTERS/Nir Elias - Mar 05 10:19 AM ET
	Rescue and emergency crews work at the scene of a blown-up bus in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, March 5, 2003. The first Palestinian suicide bombing in two months tore apart a crowded bus in the Israeli port city of Haifa, killing at least 10 people and injuring about 30. REUTERS/Nir Elias - Mar 05 10:16 AM ET

1 - 20 of 27 | Next 7 >

[dennisw]

AP and Reuters photos are on Yahoo now. It usually takes a few hours to get photos up there.

[Live free or die]

All my prayers to the innocents.

[NYC GOP Chick]

My father has been saying the *exact* same thing for the past few months -- that Israel could (and should) use this as an opportunity to clamp down harder than ever on the islamofascists who commit terrorism against Israel.

[NYC GOP Chick]

Meanwhile, "poor, oppressed" Palestinians hold a mock trial in which they sentence to death President Bush for "crimes against humanity"

Oh right! As if these bastards know what humanity actually is.