The Seafood Market attack was a Palestinian terrorist attack on the Seafood Market restaurant in Tel Aviv, Israel, on 5 March 2002. Palestinian terrorist Ibrahim Hasouna murdered three Israeli civilians, including a

Druze The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...

policeman and wounded 35. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack. An Israeli court found Marwan Barghouti, head of

Tanzim ''Tanzim'' ( ar, تنظيم ', "Organization") is a militant faction of the Palestinian Fatah movement. Overview The Tanzim militia, founded in 1995 by Yasser Arafat and other Fatah leaders to counter Palestinian Islamism, is widely consider ...

, guilty of directing this and other shootings, including the

Murder of Georgios Tsibouktzakis Father Germanos, born Georgios Tsibouktzakis (1966-2001; alt. Tsibouktsakis), was a Greek Orthodox monk-priest and abbot of St. George's Monastery, Wadi Qelt who was murdered by a terrorist on 12 June 2001 in a drive-by shooting. Yassir Arafat ha ...

Background

The attack was carried out by

, and involved three operatives: Drivers Mazen Mahmoud Omar Khadi and Marad Nazmi Agloni, and shooter Ibrahim Hasouna. Under police interrogation, the drivers confessed that they had initially infiltrated Jerusalem, planning to carry out an attack in Pisgat Ze'ev, but were deterred by a heavy police presence. They then drove to Tel Aviv. Hasouna asked to be dropped off in a densely populated area, and the drivers decided to drop him off on a pedestrian bridge overlooking a number of restaurants in central Tel Aviv. The attack occurred in the early morning, at which time the Seafood market restaurant was crowded with people gathered for an Oriental music evening and a bachelorette party.

The attack

At 2:10 AM, Hasouna opened fire. Shooting at diners sitting near the windows with an M16 rifle, he emptied two magazines. According to eyewitness Gilli Cohen, "people started to push their way to the bathrooms, and there was mass hysteria". He also threw two fragmentation grenades at people escaping the restaurant, though they did not detonate. Hasouna then headed for the "Mifgash Hasteakim" restaurant next door, pulling out a knife and stabbing at police officers and civilians attempting to restrain him, killing a police officer, but was eventually shot dead.

Victims

* Salim Barakat, 33, of Yarka * Yosef Haybi, 52, of Herzliya * Eli Dahan, 53, of

Lod Lod ( he, לוד, or fully vocalized ; ar, اللد, al-Lidd or ), also known as Lydda ( grc, Λύδδα), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Shephe ...

Aftermath

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, police set up roadblocks, at one of which Khadi and Agloni were caught while attempting to flee to

Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusale ...

via Jerusalem. In response to this attack, as well as to a shooting in Jerusalem that killed an Israeli woman and terrorism over the previous weekend which killed 22 Israelis, the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

(IDF) immediately launched a series of raids in the West Bank and

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

in which at least 17 Palestinians were killed. According to Israeli media, the attacks were set to continue for several days, focusing on the Tanzim militia. When Tanzim head Marwan Barghouti was arrested and brought to trial in Israel, the attack was among the offenses listed in the indictment. Barghouti is currently serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison.Barghouti Found Guilty of 5 Murders
Haaretz, 21 May 2004

References

External links

* [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/05/world/israeli-raids-kill-17-palestinians-in-tel-aviv-3-die-in-a-shooting.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm Israeli Raids Kill 17 Palestinians; In Tel Aviv, 3 Die in a Shooting - New York Times]
Two Palestinians arrested for assisting Seafood Market terrorist - Haaretz Daily Newspaper , Israel News

Tanzim boss Marwan Barghouti indicted for murder, branded 'arch terrorist' - Haaretz Daily Newspaper , Israel News
{{Palestinian militancy attacks in the 2000s Spree shootings in Israel Terrorist incidents in Tel Aviv Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades attacks Terrorist incidents in Israel in 2002 2000s crimes in Tel Aviv Attacks on restaurants in Israel March 2002 events in Asia Attacks on buildings and structures in 2002 2002 murders in Israel March 2002 crimes Israeli casualties in the Second Intifada Tel Aviv in the Second Intifada 2002 mass shootings in Asia Murder in Tel Aviv Stabbing attacks in Israel Stabbing attacks in 2002 Mass murder in 2002 21st-century mass murder in Israel