Description

Photo:
Scene: published by Maan News

Scene: published by Haaretz

A photo shared on social media reportedly shows Abd al-Hamid Abu Srour, 19, who died on April 20, 2016 after succumbing to wounds sustained during a Jerusalem bus explosion two days prior. Published by Maan News
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Updates, 4/20/2016

Hamas Claims Responsibility for Jerusalem Bus Bombing

Attacker identified as 19-year-old from refugee camp near Bethlehem, who dies of wounds in Israeli hospital; unlike after previous attacks claimed by the group, statement was released only by Hamas in the West Bank, and not by the group's spokespeople in Gaza or abroad.

by Amos Harel, Jack Khoury, Yair Ettinger and Nir Hasson for Haaretz

Hamas in the West Bank claimed responsibility Wednesday for the bus bombing in Jerusalem on Monday that left 20 wounded. The acknowledgment came after health officials in Gaza published a statement saying the Palestinian man who died Wednesday of wounds sustained in the bombing was a member of the group and was responsible for the attack.

Hamas identified the man as a 19-year-old from the Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem. His name is barred from publication.

Unlike other terror attacks, neither Hamas in Gaza nor its spokespeople abroad published an official acknowledgment of responsibility for the attack. Immediately after the attack, the organization published a statement praising the attack, but not claiming it.

The Jerusalem District Court imposed Tuesday a gag order on details of the investigation into the attack, which wounded 18 people, including the suspect.

Three people are still hospitalized with moderate to severe wounds in intensive care at Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem, Jerusalem. Three of the wounded were released from Sha’arei Zedek on Tuesday, where the Palestinian was also hospitalized. The man, whose identity was still under gag-order, was said to be suffering from severe wounds to his lower extremities.

Police investigators believe that the explosion was caused by a small bomb placed at the back of the bus. The bomb caused a huge fire that burned the entire bus and spread to an empty bus nearby, as well as a passing car.

The passengers were able to flee the bus, but most of them suffered burns.

The Jerusalem police have completed preparations for Passover and Orthodox Easter, with a beefed-up presence at locations where ceremonies will be held.
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BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- A Palestinian youth, who Hamas has claimed was one of its operatives, succumbed to his wounds on Wednesday evening after being severely wounded in an explosion on a Jerusalem bus two days prior, a spokesperson for the Shaare Zedek hospital told Ma’an on Wednesday evening.

The hospital spokesperson said the young man had lost both of his legs and been severely burned in the blast which injured 20 other people. Although he had been operated, his did not survive his severe injuries, she added.

Soon afterwards, the Palestinian Ministry of Health declared that 19-year-old Abd al-Hamid Abu Srour, from the Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem in the southern occupied West Bank, had died of wounds sustained in the Jerusalem bus explosion two days earlier.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the bus blast on Wednesday evening, saying Abu Srour was a member of the Islamist resistance movement and had carried out the bombing.

An explosive device detonated on an Israeli bus Monday evening in southern Jerusalem, causing a fire which spread to a nearby empty bus and a private vehicle.

The blast is the first attack of its type in years. Bus bombings were recurrent during the Second Intifada, which lasted from 2000 to 2005.

However, the current wave of unrest which has spread across the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel since October has been overwhelmingly marked by a surge of small-scale attacks carried out by Palestinian individuals -- predominantly on Israeli military targets. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since October and nearly 30 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks.
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Updates published by Haaretz, 4/18/2016

7:37 PM
Jerusalem mayor confirms: Bus blast was terror attack, caused by bomb

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat confirmed that the bus blast was a terror attack caused by a bomb placed in bus chassis.


7:25 PM
Emergency responders suspect explosive device placed on Jerusalem bus

United Hazolah emergency responders suspect that there was an explosive device at the back of the bus that caught fire. Glass pieces flew and the fire ignited quickly and strongly, events which are characteristic of a bomb.

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Updated 7:29 pm 4/18/2016

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- An Israeli bus caught fire on Monday evening in southern Jerusalem under as-of-yet unelucidated circumstances, Israeli security sources said.

Israeli police spokeswoman Luba al-Samri said the Egged bus was empty at the time of the incident, and that 16 people in a bus nearby had been injured.

The Israeli police initially reported the explosion as a “terrorist bombing,” although al-Samri later said that the circumstances behind it were "not determined yet," and that Israeli security forces were "taking all eventualities into account." Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld reported that forensics and bomb disposal experts were on the scene to identify the cause of the blast.

Al-Samri listed the casualties as two people in serious condition, six in moderate condition, and the rest suffering from light injuries.
A spokesperson for the Hadassah medical organization told Ma'an seven of the injured were being treated at its Ein Karem hospital, with four in moderate to severe condition and three in light condition. She added that three more were being treated at Hadassah's Mount Scopus hospital, all in light condition.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Shaare Zedek hospital told Ma'an eight people were being treated there, including one in severe condition. She said the seven others were in "very light" condition.

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by Haaretz

6:16 PM
Israel Police: Bus was empty before it exploded

The bus apparently had no passengers when it exploded, according to an Israel Police spokesperson. The casualties were apparently due to being close to the nearby bus. The circumstances of the incident remain under examination.