Monday marked the 15th anniversary of the Hebrew University bombing which left nine dead and roughly 100 injured.
On July 31st, 2002, an explosion ripped through the cafeteria of the Frank Sinatra International Student Center on the Hebrew University’s Mount Scopus campus in Jerusalem.
The bomb, which had been placed there by members of a Jerusalem-based Hamas terror cell, went off as summer semester students preparing for exams and instructors had crowded the cafeteria during their lunch break in between classes.
A just after 1:30 p.m., the bomb detonated, killing seven people instantaneously and injuring roughly 100. Two of the injured later succumbed to their injuries, bringing the total death toll to nine.
The victims included five American students studying in Jerusalem, and four Israelis.
The five American students killed in the attack were:
- David Gritz, 24
- Marla Bennett, 24
- Benjamin Blutstein, 25
- Janis Ruth Coulter, 36
- Dina Carter, 37
All five were killed instantly in the bombing.
The Israeli victims of the bombing included 29-year old David Ladowski and 53-year old Levina Shapira, both of whom died at the scene.
Two more victims, 30-year old Revital Barashi and 61-year old Daphna Spruch, succumbed to their injuries several weeks later.
While the terror attack drew condemnation from the US, the United Nations, and the European Union, thousands of Gazans rallied in Gaza city to celebrate the murders.