Two Palestinian suicide attacks on an Egged bus occurred in the French Hill neighborhood of Jerusalem on 18 May 2003, killing seven passengers and injuring twenty people. A few minutes after the first attack, a second suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to the village of Dahiya el-Barid, near Jerusalem.
The attacks
The first attack took place at 5:45 am, during the morning rush hour, when a Palestinian suicide bomber disguised as a Haredi person got on the No. 6 passenger bus and detonated a nail-studded explosive belt strapped to his body on a No. 6 passenger bus. Seven civilians were killed in the attack, including four Russian immigrants and an Arab resident of Jerusalem. In addition, 20 were injured in the attack, four of them seriously. Seven years later, Steve Averbach, who had been wounded in the bombing, died of his wounds, bringing the total to eight people.
His estate was part of the court case against Blom Bank SAL v Honickman that reached the United States Supreme Court.
A few minutes after the first attack, another suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to the village of Dahiya el-Barid, near Jerusalem.
The victims
Seven civilians were killed and twenty were injured in the No. 6 bus. In 2010 Steve Averbach who had been seriously wounded in the suicide bombing died of his wounds.
The victims were:
Olga Brenner, 52, Pisgat Ze'ev
Yitzhak Moyal, 64, Pisgat Ze'ev
Nelly Perov, 55, Pisgat Ze'ev
Marina Tsahivershvili, 44, Pisgat Ze'ev
Shimon Ustinsky, 68, Pisgat Ze'ev
Roni Yisraeli, 34 , Pisgat Ze'ev
Ghalab Tawil, 42, of the Shuafat village
Steve Averbach, 44, of Tel Aviv died on June 3, 2010, succumbing to wounds suffered in the suicide bombing. He had been paralyzed after the bombing. His widow joined the court case suing Blom Bank for its support of terrorism in Blom Bank SAL v Honickman that reached the United States Supreme Court.
A second suicide bomber detonated his bomb when intercepted by police in northern Jerusalem. The terrorist was killed; no one else was injured.
The perpetrator
Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, relatives of 19-year-old Hamas activist Bassem Jamil Tarkrouri, who originated from Hebron, officially identified him as the perpetrator of the attack.
Official reactions
Israel: Israeli officials spoke about the bombings, stating they "will continue to fight terror everywhere, at any time and in any way possible". Ariel Sharon cancelled a trip to the US where he was to discuss the peace "road map".
Palestinian territories:
- Palestinian National Authority – PNA officials condemned the bombings.
- US – Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke about the bombings, stating "we in the strongest possible terms the horrific terrorist bombing."
- Russia – Russian officials condemned the attack, and called on the international community to "intensify efforts to combat terrorism and activate peace efforts for the Mideast".