In the first suicide attack since September, a 16-year-old
suicide bomber entered Israel from Nablus on Monday morning,
turned away from his intended target in Jerusalem, and
finally detonated his bomb in Tel Aviv's Carmel Market,
murdering three people and wounding more than 35.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed
responsibility for the attack.
The dead were Shmuel Levy, 65, of Jaffa; Leah Levine, 64, of
Givatayim; and Tatiana Ackerman, 32, of Tel Aviv, Hashem
yikom domom.
Twelve of the wounded were still in Tel Aviv's Ichilov
Hospital on Monday night, seven of them with serious injuries
and the rest with moderate-to-light wounds, a hospital
spokeswoman said.
The five-kilogram bomb blew a hole through the market's tin
roof. The PFLP plan had called for a strike in Jerusalem but,
seeing a checkpoint, he and his driver headed for Tel Aviv
for an easier target, security sources said. He had left
Nablus for Abu Dis early Monday morning, and reached his
final destination at about 11:20 a.m.
The Shin Bet and IDF received a tip that a bomber was on his
way, and a futile race to head him off began. Far was
apparently dropped off near the market and walked several
hundred meters into it before stopping at the Shimi Brothers'
cheese shop, where he detonated his explosives.
"We have many cases of security forces thwarting attacks,"
said Tel Aviv police chief Cmdr. David Tzur, "and if somebody
gets through, that means he has gone through a thick layer of
defense."
"I want to say to all those who employ Palestinians who do
not have the required permits to enter Israel: Please put a
stop to this. These Palestinians give terrorists information
and assist them in getting into Israel," Tzur said.
Monday's was the 14th suicide bombing inside Israel since the
beginning of the year. The last in Tel Aviv took place in
July, when a bomber blew up near a bus stop on Rechov Har
Zion, killing a female soldier. The most recent blast
occurred in Jerusalem's French Hill neighborhood on September
22.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said shortly after the attack
that it proves "that there has been no change in the
Palestinian Authority -- until the PA starts taking serious
steps to eliminate terror, dismantles terrorist
organizations, and puts an end to incitement."
Far's parents were upset. "It's immoral to send someone so
young," his mother told the Associated Press. "They should
have sent an adult who understands the meaning of his
deeds."
Overnight IDF forces razed their home at the Aksar refugee
camp. Forces also destroyed the homes of the two men from
Beit Fouriq and Roujib responsible for sending the bomber on
his mission.
On Tuesday the ISA announced that it has foiled two double
suicide bombings that were supposed to take place in
Jerusalem and other Israeli cities in recent weeks. The
attacks were prevented after Israeli security forces detained
several Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror cells.
The main terror cell was mostly made up of Palestinian
policemen who joined Hamas. The group planned to carry out
double suicide bombings in the Jerusalem districts of French
Hill and Meah Shearim.
Saved by the Daf Yomi
By A. Cohen
R' Moshe Shamai, one of the owners of Shuk Hagevinot in Tel
Aviv's Carmel Market, is a regular participant at the Daf
Yomi shiur held at Beit Haknesses Hagodol on Rechov
Allenby at 12:40 p.m.
When he began attending the shiur every day with
mesirus nefesh, he changed his daily schedule to
arrive one hour early in order to allow enough time for his
set learning schedule.
On Monday, when he set out from the store at the regular time
on his way to the shiur, just a few steps outside of
the store a tremendous explosion shook the whole market,
causing major damage to the store.
Despite his slight state of shock R' Moshe refused to miss
the shiur. After administering first air to the
workers in the store he went to the shiur with
splotches of blood on his clothes. After the shiur he
spoke excitedly about the miracle he had witnessed, telling
the maggid shiur, HaRav Lipah Fellman, and his fellow
participants about the great power of maintaining a fixed
time for Torah study.
The shiur was started by Meoros HaDaf HaYomi for area
businessman and store owners who leave their businesses
during peak hours to make time for an hour of spiritual
uplift through the study of the Daf Yomi.
