2007 Eilat bombing

Eilat bakery bombing
Location	Eilat, Israel
Date	January 29, 2007
Target	Unknown, bakery
Attack type	suicide attack
Deaths	3 (including 1 suspect)
Perpetrators	al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades Islamic Jihad

29°33′35″N 34°56′43″E

The Eilat bakery bombing happened on 29 January 2007 when a Palestinian suicide bomber from the Gaza Strip infiltrated the northern suburbs of Eilat, Israel. Upon seeing the police approaching, he ducked into a neighbourhood bakery and detonated his bomb, killing the three men employed there - all Jewish civilians (two Israeli, one Peruvian).

In the midst of Palestinian factional violence, both the Islamic Jihad and the Fatah-affiliated al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed joint responsibility.

Suicide bombing

This was Eilat's first suicide bombing, and the first attack to succeed against Israel since 17 April 2006 (others had been attempted, but thwarted by Israeli security forces).

Eilat was generally considered a safe-haven from the attacks of the al-Aqsa Intifada and the Sinai attacks. It should be noted that the attack was in the residential area of Eilat, far from the tourist resorts/hotels area. Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack, together with two other terrorist groups.

Although it was the first suicide bombing to hit the city, there had been other acts of terror committed near Eilat.

Muhammed Faisal al-Saqsaq (the bomber), 21, was a resident of Gaza City and member of the Fatah-affiliated al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. According to relatives, Saksak had been despondent because he was unemployed and his baby daughter died recently of an illness. Also, his best friend had been killed in a clash with Israeli forces. His brother is a top Islamic Jihad militant. His family said he was missing for three days, but apparently knew his fate. "We knew that he was going to carry out a martyrdom operation," Saksak's brother, Naeem, told reporters at the family home in Beit Lahia. "His mother and father prayed for him to succeed."

According to Islamic Jihad, the bomber had set out from the West Bank, was smuggled into Jordan, reached Eilat, and was given the explosives by militants waiting for him there, after seven months of preparation. Israeli Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter said that the bomber infiltrated Israel from Egypt, echoing conclusions of the other intelligence agencies. Earlier, Egypt had said that there was "no way" that the bomber or his explosives could have been smuggled through their country. Israeli defense officials said that Saksak had infiltrated Israel across the 220 kilometer border with Egypt, which is fenceless and patrolled by minimal IDF and Border Police forces. Saksak possibly entered Egypt through an underground tunnel across the Philadelphi Corridor - and was then driven to the Egyptian/Israeli border, which he crossed on foot some 30 km from Eilat.

Saksak hitched a ride with an Israeli man, Lt. Col. (res.) Yossi Waltinksy. The driver said in an interview with Channel 10 that he had suspected Saksak was up to something, and was also suspicious of his heavy clothing and lack of knowledge of Hebrew, but that he could do nothing until the man got out of the car. He phoned the police minutes before the bomb was detonated. Israeli Police received two calls suspicious of the man.

Witnesses said the bomber stood out because he wore a long black winter coat on a warm, sunny day when he struck the small bakery in a residential neighborhood. Police said the bomb was in a black bag he was carrying rather than an explosives belt. Saksak appeared to have stopped at the bakery for coffee before reaching his final destination, and blew himself up after he saw police cars approaching.

A large crowd gathered outside the bomber's home to praise the attack. "Mohammed be happy. You will go directly to heaven," the crowd chanted, while children held pictures of the bomber. He looked pensive in one image, and held a machine gun in another.

Israel is also studying the possibility that the suicide bomber was aided by Egyptian security forces in violation of the peace treaties between the countries.

International reactions

• Europe - Germany, currently holder of the European Union presidency, condemned the attack "in the strongest terms." An EU presidency statement said Germany "urges the Palestinian leadership to do everything in its power to put an end to terror and bring to justice those who support terror."
• Jordan - King Abdullah condemned the bombing, saying in a statement that "such attacks will only increase the sufferings of the Palestinians."
• Sweden - Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt said, "I condemn today's terrorist attack in Eilat, Israel. Violence that targets civilians is totally unacceptable. [...] The infighting among Palestinian groups is claiming more and more victims. Palestinian leaders must therefore take their responsibility and quickly find a way to resolve the crisis using peaceful means."
• United Kingdom - Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said, "We utterly condemn this morning's suicide attack in Eilat. There can be no justification for such attacks."
• United States - White House spokesman Tony Snow said the responsibility of the bombing lies with the Palestinian Authority government. He added, "Failure to act against terror will inevitably affect relations between that government and the international community and undermine the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own."

See also

• 2004 Sinai bombings
• 2006 Dahab bombings
• Sinai bus crash
• List of Palestinian Islamic Jihad suicide attacks

External links

• Suicide bombing in Eilat bakery ISRAEL Ministry of Foreign Affairs