The 2004 Ashdod Port bombings were two suicide bombings carried out nearly simultaneously on March 14, 2004 at the Port of Ashdod in Ashdod, Israel. As a result, 10 civilians were killed and 16 were injured. Hamas and Fatah claimed joint responsibility for the attack.
The attack
Memorial for the attack victims
On Sunday, March 14, 2004, two Palestinian suicide bombers who wore explosive belts hidden underneath their clothes approached the Port of Ashdod. Despite the vast security arrangements at the compound, the two suicide bombers managed to infiltrate the compound.[citation needed]
At 16:20 pm the suicide bombers detonated their explosive devices - one exploded himself in an office building inside the compound, and the other exploded after a few moments at the entrance to the compound. The force of the blast killed ten civilians, most of them were port workers, and injured 16 others.[citation needed]
The perpetrators and Israeli response
Hamas and Fatah claimed joint responsibility for the attack and stated that the attack was carried out by two 18-year-olds from the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.[1] The two assailants managed to infiltrate Israel from Gaza by hiding in a container that went through the Karni Crossing.[2] A Hamas leader in Gaza stated that the original plan was that the suicide bombers would blow up fuel tanks at the port; Israel said the bombers intended to carry out a "mega attack" with hundreds of casualties, but instead blew themselves up hundreds of meters from the tanks.[2] Later on it was revealed that the attack was financed and directed by Nizar Rayan.[3] In response, Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin was killed along with his bodyguards and several bystanders (eleven people in total) by hellfire missiles fired at his wheelchair from Israeli helicopters in Gaza City.[4][5]
