Location Tel Aviv Attack type Suicide bomber | Target Dizengoff Center Non-fatal injuries 130 | |
 | ||
Date March 4, 1996
approximately 4:00 pm (GMT+2) Deaths 13 Israelis (12 civilians, 1 soldier) + 1 bomber | ||
The Dizengoff Center suicide bombing (also Purim massacre) was a Palestinian terrorist attack on March 4, 1996 on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Purim. The suicide bomber blew himself up outside Dizengoff Center in downtown Tel Aviv, killing 13 Israelis and wounding 130 more. The attack was the fourth suicide bombing in Israel in nine days, bringing the death toll during that span to over 60.
Contents
The attack
The suicide bomber detonated just before 4 pm (GMT+2) outside the Dizengoff Center, the largest shopping mall in Tel Aviv. That day the center was particularly crowded for the eve of Purim. Many in the crowd were children dressed in costume for the holiday. The bomber sought to enter the mall but turned back because of the police presence. Instead, he went into the busy intersection where a large number of pedestrians were crossing the street and set off his 20-kilogram nail bomb. Following the attack, a phone call to an Israeli radio station apparently from a Hamas representative identified the attacker as Abdel-Rahim Ishaq, a 24-year-old resident of Ramallah.
Fatalities
The suicide bomber killed 13 Israelis (12 civilians and one soldier): Additionally, a pregnant woman was injured in the blast and lost her unborn child.