The 2004 Ashdod Port bombings were two suicide bombings carried out nearly simultaneously on March 14, 2004 at the Port of Ashdod in Ashdod, Israel. 10 people were killed in the attack, and 16 were injured. Hamas and Fatah claimed joint responsibility for the attack. On Sunday, March 14, 2004, two Arab suicide bombers who wore explosive belts hidden underneath his clothes approached the Port of Ashdod. Despite the vast security arrangements at the compound, the two suicide bombers managed to infiltrate into the compound. At 16:20 pm the suicide bombers detonated their explosive devices - the first terrorist got inside the port and blow himself up close to a group of workers standing next to a machine repair workshop. The explosion blew the roof off the workshop, and five workers were killed immediately. A few moments later, the second suicide terrorist detonated his bomb on the sidewalk in a storage and refrigeration area adjacent to the port. The blast destroyed a trailer, killing three office workers. Two others died in hospital, 16 were wounded. Hamas and Fatah claimed joint responsibility for the attack and stated that the attack was carried out by two 18-year-olds from the Jabalya, Gaza Strip. The two assailants managed to infiltrate Israel from Gaza by hiding in a container that went through the Karni Crossing. A Hamas leader in Gaza stated that the original plan was that the suicide bombers would blow up fuel tanks at the port; Israel said the bombers intended to carry out a mega attack with hundreds of casualties, but instead blew themselves up hundreds of meters from the tanks. Later on it was revealed that the attack was financed and directed by Nizar Rayan. Rayan was a strong advocate between 1994 and 2004 or 2005 of suicide attacks on Israel, and his son killed himself on one such mission. Rayan and most of his family were eliminated in an Israeli airstrike during the 2008-09 Gaza War.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 18:21:11 +0000