Two consecutive suicide bombings were carried out by

Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam ...

militants on 30 July 1997 at the Mahane Yehuda Market in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, the city's main open-air fruit and vegetable market. Sixteen people were killed in the attack and 178 were injured.

The attack

On Wednesday, 30 July 1997 at 1:15 pm, two

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

suicide bombers who carried bags laden with explosives and nails detonated their explosive devices 45 meters (150 feet) apart almost simultaneously in a central alley in the popular outdoor market, killing 16 civilians, among them an Arab resident of Eilabun, and injuring 178 people, many of them teenagers and tourists. Thirteen Israelis were killed immediately and three others died later from their injuries. The Mahane Yehuda attack was followed by a triple suicide bombing on the Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall in downtown Jerusalem on 4 September, which killed five Israelis and wounded over 190.

Aftermath

In retaliation for these and other attacks, a decision was reached to target Hamas leaders. According to an Israeli press release, Mossad agents tried to poison chairman

Khaled Mashal Khaled Mashal ( ar, خالد مشعل, Khālid Mashʿal, Levantine Arabic: , born 28 May 1956) is a former leader of the Palestinian organization Hamas. After the founding of Hamas in 1987, Mashal became the leader of the Kuwaiti branch of t ...

, who resided at the time in

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

. The assassination attempt failed and the Mossad agents were captured by the Jordanian authorities. They were later released in exchange for the release of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder and "spiritual leader" of Hamas who was serving a life sentence in an Israeli prison.Hartley, Lea, Cossali and Rowe, 2004, p. 231.Schanzer, 2008, p. 45.

References

__NOTOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahane Yehuda Market Bombings Explosions in 1997 Mass murder in 1997 Hamas suicide bombings Terrorist incidents in Jerusalem Marketplace attacks in Asia July 1997 events in Asia Islamic terrorist incidents in 1997 Terrorist incidents in Jerusalem in the 1990s

The attack

Aftermath

See also

References