According to Arutz Sheva, some of the explosive devices were planted remarkedly close to the Bat Yad Stadium and the Wolfson Hospital in Holon, both places where large gatherings of people gather.
By Rachel Avraham
On the very day that Hamas returned four bodies to Israel, terror struck different parking lots in in Central Israel, Israel Hayom reported. Three empty buses exploded and caught fire on Thursday evening in three parking lots in Bat Yam, Arutz Sheva reported. According to the report, additional explosive devices were found on two buses in the nearby city of Holon. The words: “Revenge from Tulkarm” were found written on one of the explosive devices.
Israel Hayom reported that there were no injuries, but bus drivers across Israel have been instructed to halt their routes and inspect their vehicles for suspicious objects. According to the report, the Israel Police have officially classified the incident as a terrorist attack, and the Shin Bet has launched a manhunt for those responsible for planting the explosive devices on the buses.
According to Arutz Sheva, some of the explosive devices were planted remarkedly close to the Bat Yad Stadium and the Wolfson Hospital in Holon, both places where large gatherings of people gather. Israel Hayom reported that the Shin Bet estimates that the attackers intended for the explosive devices to detonate at 9:00 a.m., when many Israelis go to the market before the Jewish Sabbath, but mistakenly set them for the evening.
Security officials later established that those responsible for planting the explosive devices came from “terrorist infrastructure” in Judea and Samaria, the Jerusalem Post reported. “The revenge of the martyrs will not be forgotten as long as the occupier is present on our land. This is a jihad of victory or martyrdom,” Hamas’s Tulkarm battalion published in a statement, hinting at responsibility for the explosions, the Jerusalem Post added.
Local residents are presently in a state of shock. Ayala, who lives near the country club adjacent to one of the explosion sites, told the Jerusalem Post: “We heard an explosion, and then another one. At first, we didn’t understand what was happening. We knew there was a ceasefire, so we realized it wasn’t a rocket. Suddenly, ambulances arrived, and WhatsApp groups were reporting two blasts and a large fire. At first, people thought it was a tire explosion, but as more reports came in, we understood it was a terror attack. It was terrifying—how was I supposed to go to work the next morning?”
According to the report, Yossi, who had been taking a nighttime walk in the area and arrived at the scene, said: “I felt a slight tremor, and then we heard a massive explosion. I stepped outside and saw smoke rising from the parking lot. It was terrifying—I come here every day. You think it’s a safe place, and then suddenly, this happens right next to you.”
Liron, a mother of two young children, said she feared for her family’s safety, the Jerusalem Post added: “How can we live like this? It happened right here in my neighborhood. Something has to change. If they keep releasing terrorists, we’ll go back to the days of relentless attacks.”
The Times of Israel reported that National Unity party chief Benny Gantz calls for the series of attempted bus bombings in central Israel to “be treated as a mega terror attack.” According to him, “We must not focus on the outcome but on the intent. We cannot repeat the mistake made in the foiled attack in Megiddo,” he says, referring to a March 2023 car bombing in northern Israel perpetrated by a Hezbollah terrorist who crossed from Lebanon, which wasn’t followed by an Israeli escalation.
“An attempt to murder dozens of Israelis on this difficult day must be met not only with tactical actions, but also with direct targeting of the planners and funders of the attack, as well as the use of powerful measures against the terrorists’ strongholds,” Gantz says. “A heavy price must be exacted — one that terrorist organizations will not forget.”
