The Dizengoff Center suicide bombing (also Purim massacre) was a Palestinian suicide terrorist attack which took place on March 4, 1996, on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Purim. The suicide bomber blew himself up outside Dizengoff Center in downtown Tel Aviv, killing 13 Israelis[1] and wounding 130 more. The terrorist attack was the fourth suicide bombing in Israel in nine days, bringing the death toll during that span to over 60.[2]
| Dizengoff Center suicide bombing | |
|---|---|
 The mall after the bombing | |
| Native name | הפיגוע בדיזנגוף סנטר |
| Location | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Coordinates | 32°04′34″N 34°46′29″E / 32.07611°N 34.77472°E |
| Date | March 4, 1996 c. 4:00 pm (GMT+2) |
| Target | Dizengoff Center |
Attack type | Suicide bomber |
| Weapon | Suicide vest |
| Deaths | 13 Israelis (12 civilians, 1 soldier) + 1 bomber |
| Injured | 125 |
| Perpetrator | Hamas |
| Participant | 1 |
The attack
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The suicide bomber detonated just before 4 pm (GMT+2) outside the Dizengoff Center, the largest shopping mall in Tel Aviv. That day the center was particularly crowded for the eve of Purim. Many in the crowd were children dressed in costume for the holiday. The bomber sought to enter the mall but turned back because of the police presence. Instead, he went into the busy intersection where a large number of pedestrians were crossing the street and set off his 20-kilogram nail bomb.[1][2] Following the attack, a phone call to an Israeli radio station apparently from a Hamas representative identified the attacker as Abdel-Rahim Ishaq, a 24-year-old resident of Ramallah.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Suicide and Other Bombing Attacks in Israel Since the Declaration of Principles (Sept 1993)". Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 3 April 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ a b c Serge, Schmemann (5 March 2010). "Bombing in Israel:The Overview;4th Terror Blast in Israel Kills 14 at Mall in Tel Aviv; Nine-Day Toll Grows to 61". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023.
External links
edit- The Bat-Chen Diaries
- Patches, a memorial film
- The Dizengoff Memorial Quilt Project at the Wayback Machine (archived October 27, 2009)