Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

On November 21, a bomb exploded in a city bus in central Tel Aviv, near the headquarters of the
Ministry of Defense, wounding 26 Israeli civilians. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhiri praised
the bombing. In December, the ISA announced that it arrested the perpetrators of the attack, who
it said were members of a Ramallah-area-based terrorist cell consisting of Hamas and PIJaffiliated
operatives. According to the ISA, the cell was led by Ahmed Salah Ahmed Musa, a
Hamas operative who was responsible for intelligence collection, production of the improvised
explosive device (IED), and recruiting the individual who planted the IED and remotely
activated it. Muhammad Abed Al Jfar Nasser Mfarja, an Israeli citizen, was recruited to Hamas
by Musa, and planted the IED on the bus. The ISA described Fuad Rabach Sucry Azai as a PIJ
operative who provided Musa with a handgun and ammunition and attempted to provide him
with an M-16 rifle. Prior to the attack, Musa requested the assistance of another Hamas
operative, Muhammad Mahpod Said Damara, who reportedly admitted the possession of a rifle
that was to be used during the attack. On December 19, the Tel Aviv District Advocate filed an
indictment in the Tel Aviv District Court against Mfarja; indictments against the remaining
operatives were expected to follow.
Incidents along the Gaza security fence included:
On May 1, IDF soldiers came under fire near the security fence in central Gaza; two
armored vehicles were damaged.
On June 1, an Israeli soldier was killed when a terrorist attempting to enter Israel from
southern Gaza opened fire on IDF soldiers.
On October 23, an IDF officer was injured in an IED attack on the Gaza border. Israel
subsequently uncovered additional explosive devices near the security fence, and on
November 9, an “explosive tunnel” on the Gaza border detonated during an operational
activity by the IDF.
On November 10, an anti-tank missile was fired at an IDF patrol along the security fence
in northern Gaza, injuring four Israeli soldiers.
Incidents on the Israel-Egypt border included:
In February, an IDF team found an explosive device with a remote trigger along the
portion of the Israel-Egypt border known as the Philadelphi Corridor.
In a June 18 cross-border attack from Egypt, militants detonated a roadside bomb and
fired anti-tank rockets and live ammunition at two Israeli vehicles. An Israeli civilian
working on the Israel-Egypt border fence was killed, and two others were wounded.
On August 5, terrorists identified by the IDF as a global terrorist cell operating in the
Sinai stormed an Egyptian military post near Rafah, killing 16 Egyptian soldiers and
border guards and capturing an armored personnel carrier (APC) and a truck filled with
explosives. The truck exploded at the Israel-Egypt border, and the APC entered Israeli
territory near Kerem Shalom with four attackers inside, where it was targeted by the
Israel Air Force. The attack came shortly after a mortar barrage from Gaza pounded the
Kerem Shalom border crossing in Israel, and rockets were fired at adjacent towns.
Hizballah-linked incidents included:
According to the ISA, in early June, Hizballah smuggled 20 kilograms of C-4 explosive
and an IED detonation system into Israel from Lebanon, using a network of narcotics
dealers. Weapons were also seized as part of a joint ISA-Israel National Police operation
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