Israel ‘terror attack': Everything we know about Tel Aviv bus bombings as police hunt for culprits

Independent

21-02-2025

Three buses exploded in Israel in a suspected terror attack on Thursday night.
Explosive devices planted on board were detonated in Bat Yam, in southern Tel Aviv.
'Intensified anti-terror' activity will continue in the occupied West Bank following the explosions, the military said, suggesting it will ramp up assaults on refugee camps which have increased in frequency and intensity since January.
But many questions remain about Thursday's explosions, with the perpetrators still at large. Here is everything we know about the Israel bus attacks.
What happened?
Beginning at around 8:30pm on Thursday night, three explosive devices detonated in three buses in the Israeli city. The first two bombs detonated within minutes of each other, and the third 15 minutes later.
No casualties were reported. The buses had been parked after finishing their routes and it was a miracle that no one was hurt, the city's mayor Tzvika Brot said.
Explosives were also found on two other buses but did not detonate, with bomb squads currently working to defuse them, a police spokesperson told Channel 13 TV. All five bombs were identical and equipped with timers.
After the explosions, all bus drivers working for the operator were ordered to stop and conduct a 'thorough inspection' of their vehicles. Once found to be safe, their routes were resumed, chief of the bus company Ofir Karni said.
All buses were subsequently halted across Israel, as police and military officers were dispatched to search for suspicious objects.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he was receiving updates from his military secretary. Police said the Shin Bet internal security agency was taking over the investigation.
Investigators scoured for evidence amid the metal shells of the scorched buses, as the hunt for suspects got underway.
It is unclear who is responsible. No group has definitively claimed responsibility for the attack.
A group from Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank, which claimed to be a branch of Hamas' military wing the Qassam Brigades, said on Telegram: "We will never forget to take vengeance for our martyrs as long as the occupation is on our lands." The group did not appear to be explicitly taking responsibility.
According to local media, one of the unexploded devices held a message reading 'Revenge from Tulkarem'. The West Bank city has been a focus of Israel's intensified military assault since January.
Police spokesman Haim Sargrof told Israel TV that authorities are working to 'determine if a single suspect placed explosives on a number of buses, or if there were multiple suspects'.
The explosives matched those which have been used in the West Bank, Mr Sargrof said, without elaborating.
What will Israel's response be?
The Israeli prime minister's office has ordered Israeli forces to carry out an 'intensive operation against centres of terrorism' in the West Bank, according to a statement.
'The Prime Minister also ordered the Israel Police and the (Israel Security Agency) to increase preventative activity against additional attacks in Israeli cities,' the statement added.
The military said 'intensified anti-terror activity' would continue in the West Bank.
Israel's strengthened assault on West Bank towns and camps came after a ceasefire came into effect in Gaza on January 19.
Since the offensive began on 21 January, at least 44 Palestinians including five children and two women have been killed in the Tulkarem, Jenin and Rubas governorates, with attacks centring particularly on the refugee camps, the UN's humanitarian office, OHCHR, said.