1988 Negev bus hijacking
| Mothers' bus attack | |
|---|---|
The attack site | |
| Location | In southern Israel near the Bedouin village of Aroer |
| Date | 7 March 1988 |
| Weapons | AK-47 rifles Carl Gustav M/45 submachine gun hand grenades |
| Deaths | 3 Israeli civilians (+ 3 attackers) |
| Injured | 8 Israeli civilians |
| Perpetrators | 3 assailants. Palestine Liberation Organization claimed responsibility |
The Mothers' bus attack refers to the 1988 hijacking of an Israeli civilian bus carrying workers to the Negev Nuclear Research Center during the First Intifada. Three Arab militants took 11 passengers hostage and executed two passengers. The bus was then stormed by Yamam, Israel's elite counter-terrorism unit. In the 40-second takeover operation, all three hijackers were killed, along with one of the hostages.
The incident was named the "mothers' bus attack" because many of the passengers were working mothers.