The death toll has reached at least 15, and possibly 18, in tonight’s horrific bus bombing in Jerusalem. A terrorist dressed as a hareidi or hassidic Jew boarded the bus that had come from the Western Wall, and detonated his powerful explosive amidst the many passengers packed together. Approximately 40 children are among the over 100 dead and wounded. Passengers on a bus in front of the #2 bus, and on a car in back of it, were also among the wounded.

ZAKA emergency services leader Yehuda Meshi-Zahav said that he was among the first people on the scene, and saw a “pile of dead and wounded.” He said that he picked his way through the bodies, checking which of them had a pulse, until he found a baby that he estimated at three months old, “crying but whole.” He and other eyewitnesses said they had rarely if ever seen such a horrendous attack.

In Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center, approximately 13 of the 41 people hospitalized there are children.

The terrorist detonated himself shortly after 9 PM in between the two parts of the accordion bus as it was driving north on Shmuel HaNavi St. The bus was on its way to the Geulah neighborhood, the Central Bus Station area, and then Har Nof.

Pinchas Kramer of Bnei Brak said that his son was attending a Bar Mitzvah nearby when the blast occurred. “My son’s classmates tried to board the bus that later blew up, but it was too crowded and the driver did not even open the doors for them. This saved their lives.”

The Islamic Jihad - a smaller organization than Hamas - claimed that it had perpetrated the attack, saying it was in retaliation for the killing of a terrorist in Hevron a few days ago.

Prime Minister Sharon and Defense Minister Mofaz decided tonight to freeze all further steps in the “peace process” with the PA, and Kalkilye and Jericho will not be transferred to PA control tomorrow. All meetings between Israeli and PA officials have been called off.

The White House sharply condemned tonight’s attack, and called on the Palestinian Authority to dismantle the terrorist infrastructures in its midst.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 20th, 2003 and is filed under news.