Suicide bombing of Maxim restaurant in Haifa
October 4, 2003
Twenty-one people were killed, including three children and a baby girl, and 60 wounded in a suicide bombing carried out by a female terrorist in the Maxim restaurant in Haifa. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.
The bomber, Hanadi Jaradat, a 29-year-old lawyer from Jenin, managed to get past Maxim's security guard before blowing herself up in the middle of the restaurant. The security guard was killed in the attack, along with three other Israeli Arab employees of the restaurant.
The blast devastated the restaurant, of joint Jewish-Arab ownership, on Hahagana Boulevard near the southern entrance of the coastal city. It was packed mostly with regular Saturday customers.
The victims:
- Five members of the Almog family from Haifa: Admiral (res.) Ze'ev Almog, 71, his wife Ruth, 70, their son Moshe, 43, and grandsons Tomer Almog, 9, and Assaf Staier, 11
- Five members of the Zer-Aviv family from Kibbutz Yagur: Bruria, 59; her son Bezalel, 30, and his wife Keren, 29, with their children Liran, 4, and Noya, 1
- Zvi Bahat, 35, of Haifa
- Mark Biano, 29, of Haifa, and his wife Naomi, 25
- Hana Francis, 39, of Fassouta, chief waiter
- Mutanus Karkabi, 31, of Haifa, the security guard
- Sharbal Matar, 23, of Fassouta, waiter
- Osama Najar, 28, of Haifa, cook
- Nir Regev, 25, of Nahariya
- Irena Sofrin, 38, of Kiryat Bialik
- Lydia Zilberstein, 56, of Haifa died of her wounds on Oct 9
- George Matar, 59, of Haifa died of his wounds on Oct 15
Reactions:
U.S. President George Bush:
"I condemn unequivocally the vicious act of terrorism committed today in Haifa. This murderous action, aimed at families gathered to enjoy a Sabbath lunch, killed and injured dozens of men, women, and children. This despicable attack underscores once again the responsibility of Palestinian authorities to fight terror, which remains the foremost obstacle to achieving the vision of two states living side by side in peace and security."
U.S. State Department spokesman Joanne Moore:
"There can be no excuse for the violence and terrorist attacks the Israeli people have been forced to endure. We condemn in the strongest possible terms these horrific acts of terrorism. This clearly illustrates why the Palestinian Authority must act now to dismantle terrorist capacity and networks that perpetrate such attacks and prevent any future attacks."
British Prime Minister Tony Blair:
"I am outraged by the latest terrorist horror in Israel. My deepest condolences go to family and friends of the victims caught in this attack. Such incidents are always sickening, but even more so when they involve children. The United Kingdom unequivocally condemns terrorist action against Israelis, as we do everywhere. These attacks do not serve the interests of the Palestinian people."
French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin:
Terrorism "can only weaken the Palestinian cause and delay the solution to the conflict." He asked "the highest officials" in the Palestinian Authority, a reference to Yasser Arafat, to condemn such acts and "fight unendingly to end the activities of terrorist groups." He also asked Israeli authorities, "despite the anger and the pain, to show restraint and abstain from all irreparable decisions in order to preserve the chances for restarting the political process."