Palestinian suicide attacks
Palestinian suicide attacks involve the use of suicide bombings by Palestinian groups in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, predominantly targeting Israeli civilians. This tactic is also referred to as Palestinian suicide terrorism. It emerged in the 1990s and reached its peak during the Second Intifada. Attacks occurred at various locations, including shopping centers, public buses, transit stations, cafes, nightclubs, and restaurants, According to a 2006 study from the University of Haifa, only a few of the bombings targeted military objectives. Between 1994 and 2005, suicide bombings killed 735 Israelis and wounded 4,554.
The majority of Palestinian suicide bombings targeting Israelis have been carried out by radical Palestinian groups, who often recruit potential bombers from outside their ranks, rather than relying on internal members. In the early 1990s, Islamist organizations such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad adopted this strategy in response to the Oslo Accords, which had elevated the PLO's more secular position and sidelined these Islamist groups. During the Second Intifada, suicide attacks against Israel intensified and gained widespread Palestinian support, leading to the development of a martyrdom cult. This led to its adoption by other groups such as the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and Fatah's Tanzim, which sought to leverage the tactic to enhance their own standing.
In Palestinian society, suicide bombings are commonly referred to as "martyrdom operations". For many Palestinian suicide bombers, martyrdom represents a fulfillment of religious duty, driven by an Islamist interpretation of Jihad that equates martyrdom with a sacred obligation. This perspective, combined with an animosity toward Jews and a response to perceived national humiliation and injustice associated with the 1948 displacement and the Israeli occupation, renders martyrdom a compelling choice. Bombers are also motivated by a desire for revenge, personal pride and honor, and the promise of spiritual and material rewards in the afterlife. Public support for suicide bombers is reflected in cultural practices such as mass funerals, the naming of public spaces after bombers, and promotion through social media, written media, education, and children's programs.
Suicide bombings in the 1990s and 2000s had an unexpected and severe impact on Israel's home front, profoundly affecting Israeli society and hardening attitudes towards Palestinians as potential peace partners in a two-state solution. The bombings contributed to Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon's decision to construct the West Bank barrier inside and around the West Bank.
Background
In the 1980s there were high-profile incidents of suicide terrorism in Lebanon, and since then the tactic has become widespread globally. The first suicide attack by an Islamist group occurred in the 1981 Iraqi Embassy in Beirut by the Islamic Dawa Party, followed by Hezbollah's 1983 Beirut barracks bombings. This tactic has since been employed in countries such as India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, the UK, the US, and Yemen. Hezbollah's attacks specifically influenced Palestinian groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, leading them to adopt similar procedures for selecting and training suicide bombers.Between 1994 and 2005, suicide bombings killed 735 Israelis and wounded 4,554.
Palestinian militants refer to suicide bombings as "martyrdom operations". This term is used by both the more recently formed Islamic nationalist groups, as well as the militant wings of some Palestine Liberation Organization factions.
Perpetrators
The majority of suicide bombings targeting Israelis have been organized by Palestinian nationalist groups, initially led by Islamist organizations and then adopted by more secular groups. These organizations typically recruit bombers from outside their own ranks, rather than relying on internal members. Suicide bombs were later used by a smaller number of Palestinians in anti-nationalist groups.The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)
, through its military wing Al-Qassam Brigades, has been responsible for numerous suicide attacks since 1993. The group has conducted more suicide attacks and caused more Israeli casualties than any other Palestinian group.Hamas presents both practical and doctrinal justifications for suicide bombings. Practically, they emphasize the harm and deterrence these attacks inflict on Israeli society. Doctrinally, they glorify martyrdom as the pinnacle of jihad and Islamic belief. The old 1988 Hamas Covenant articulated the group's goal, stating, "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it". Additionally, Article 7 of the 1988 Covenant declares, "The time will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them, and until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees when the call is raised: 'Oh Muslim, here is a Jew hiding! Come and kill him.'" The group contends that suicide bombings establish a "balance of fear" against Israel by inflicting significant casualties and psychological distress on Israelis, despite the group's own military limitations. Additionally, Hamas frames these attacks as a testament to "Palestinian innovative genius", showcasing their perceived creativity and strategic ingenuity in the ongoing conflict.
The first major attack by Hamas occurred on April 13, 1994, at the Hadera bus station suicide bombing, killing five people, as retribution for the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre by Baruch Goldstein in February. A significant escalation in Hamas' suicide bombing campaign followed the assassination of bombmaker Yahya Ayyash in January 1996. This led to a surge in attacks until late 1997. During the initial 21 months of the Second Intifada, Hamas was responsible for approximately 43% of all suicide attacks against Israelis, killing 161 and injuring over 1,100. Ganor writes that from 2000 to 2005, Hamas orchestrated 92 out of 155 total terrorist attacks. Moghadam notes that Hamas has demonstrated a high level of lethality and effectiveness in its attacks, often causing more casualties than other Palestinian groups.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad was behind the 1989 Tel Aviv–Jerusalem bus attack, which killed 16 civilians, and is considered by some as the first Palestinian suicide attack in Israel.The PIJ began conducting suicide bombings between 1994 and 1997. The group's attacks primarily targeted civilians within Israel proper, including Jerusalem.
The PIJ's first notable suicide bombing was on November 11, 1994, when a PIJ member used a bicycle bomb to kill three Israelis. On January 22, 1995, PIJ carried out one of the deadliest attacks in Israeli history with dual bombings at Beit Lid junction, resulting in the deaths 20 Israeli soldiers and 1 civilian. During the initial 21 months of the Second Intifada, PIJ was responsible for approximately 20% of all successful suicide attacks, killing at least 28 Israelis and injuring 213. The number of attacks by PIJ increased over time, peaking with the Megiddo Junction bus bombing in June 2002, which killed 17 Israelis.
The Ideology of the PIJ was influenced by Islamist thinker Sayyid Qutb. Fathi Shiqaqi, a co-founder of PIJ, has advocated the idea that jihad is a personal duty. Former PIJ leader Ramadan Shalah expressed the group's reliance on martyrdom as a tactic, stating, "We have nothing with which to repel the killing and thuggery against us except the weapon of martyrdom. It is easy and costs us only our lives human bombs cannot be defeated, not even by nuclear bombs".
Fatah, Tanzim, and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
During the Second Intifada, Fatah, the primary faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization led then by Yasser Arafat, was a major player in the use of suicide terrorism. During the initial 21 months of the Second Intifada, Fatah has been responsible for nearly a third of all suicide attacks and became the most active organization in terms of the number of attacks on Israelis. The group's strategy involved leveraging the Tanzim and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades to provide a secular alternative to Islamist groups like Hamas and PIJ.The Tanzim, the armed wing of Fatah, was involved in significant violence, particularly following Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount. The Tanzim's first major suicide attack occurred on January 17, 2002, in Hadera, killed six people and wounded 33 at a bat mitzvah children celebration.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a faction within Fatah formed after September 2000, emerged during the Second Intifada as a leading group in carrying out suicide attacks. In the early months of 2002, this group was responsible for over half of all suicide attacks, prompting the U.S. State Department to designate it as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in March 2002. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades are closely linked to Fatah, with many of its members also being part of the Palestinian Authority's security forces.