From the beginning of the Aqsa intifada, Israeli security forces have exposed the phenomenon of using women for terrorist purposes, such as perpetrating suicide attacks. Israel's security forces are aware of more than 20 cases in which women were involved in sabotage activity against Israeli targets. The terrorist organizations behind the attacks want to exploit the advantages of dispatching females to perpetrate them, primarily within the Green Line. This is under the assumption that a female is thought of as soft, gentle, and innocent and therefore will arouse less suspicion than a man. In the cases in which females were involved, the terrorists were aware of their need for camouflage that would help them blend in on the Israeli street. The female terrorists attempted to Westernize their appearance, among other things wearing clothing that was not conservative, such as short skirts, or maternity clothes, and having modern haircuts.
In most of the aforementioned cases, the women were from two poles of Palestinian society that do not fit the accepted image of the "average Palestinian woman." Among these females are both well educated professionals and common young women lacking education and a profession. However, in each and every case these women had a large amount of "personal baggage."
The integration of females in terrorist activity can be divided among different levels, the highest being the female suicide bomber or one who intended to carry out a suicide attack but was thwarted. In addition, women have acted as facilitators, in both planning and perpetrating terrorist attacks.
It should be noted that the current phenomenon of involving Palestinian women in terrorist activity is known in "Palestinian history." A prominent example is Atef Elian, a senior Islamic Jihad operative who planned to perpetrate a suicide attack using a car bomb in Jerusalem in 1987. Elian was incarcerated in Israel for 10 years and was released in 1997. Another prominent example is Leila Khaled, a senior PFLP operative who was involved in the hijacking of an Israeli plane in 1969.
Summary and Conclusions
Female terrorists:
Two people were killed and 90 wounded in this suicide bombing on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem (Jan 27, 2002).
The female suicide bomber who perpetrated the attack: Wafa Idris.
An academic and a nurse by profession, Wafa Idris was a resident of the Amari refugee camp in Ramallah, divorced without children due to her being barren, and previously worked at the Red Crescent Society. Three of her brothers are affiliated with the Fatah organization, and during the fist Intifada the eldest was arrested by Israel. Tanzim operatives in Ramallah directed the terrorist attack.
Idris was injured twice by rubber bullets, while treating injured Palestinians, a fact that may have played a role in her motives for perpetrating the attack.
Kiryat Hayovel supermarket
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Two people were killed and 22 wounded in this suicide bombing of a supermarket in Jerusalem's Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood (March 29, 2002).
The female suicide bomber who perpetrated the attack: Ayat al-Akhras, an 18-year-old girl from the Dehaishe refugee camp near Bethlehem.
The Tanzim, a Fatah organization, took responsibility for the attack. Akhras carried the explosive charge in a black purse, which had been prepared for her. Ibrahim Sirhane and his brother Mousa Sirhane led Akhras to the scene of the attack. The two brothers took her in a red pickup truck close to the supermarket where the attack took place in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Kiryat Hayovel. Prior to the attack Mousa Sirhane approached two elderly Arab women who were close to the supermarket and warned them of the expected attack.
Before leaving to carry out the attack, Akhras videotaped a will and a farewell message to her family.
Bus stop at Mahane Yehuda market
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Four Israelis and two Chinese workers were killed and 60 wounded, in this suicide bombing of Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market (April 12, 2002).
The female suicide bomber who perpetrated the attack: Andaleeb Taqataqah, a 21-year-old Tanzim operative from Bethlehem.
The attack was directed and coordinated by Moutaz Heimouni, a Front for the Liberation of Palestine operative from Hebron who was arrested during Operation Defensive Shield. The manufacturer of the explosive charge used was Marwan Zaloum, a senior Tanzim operative from Hebron, who was later targeted and killed by security forces.
The bomb was manufactured from three tubes of plastic explosives and a battery, which were placed in a black purse to camouflage it. On the day of the attack Andaleeb Taqataqah was driven to Abu Dis and from there she took a taxi to Jerusalem and made her way to the Mahaneh Yehuda market - where she blew herself up near an Egged bus. A number of days prior to the attack Taqataqah was videotaped dressed in black and holding a Koran.
Two policemen were wounded in a suicide bombing at the Maccabim checkpoint on Feb 27, 2002.
The female suicide bomber who perpetrated the attack: Dareen Abu Aisheh.
A 21-year-old resident of Beit Wazan in Samaria, Dareen Abu Aisheh arrived in a car at the Maccabim checkpoint from the direction of Jerusalem. In the vehicle with her were two Tanzim operatives, Hafez Mouqbal and Mousa Hasounaafez . The two were asked to present their IDs, and when Abu Aisheh was asked to present hers she detonated the explosives strapped to her waist, killing herself and lightly wounding two policemen. Prior to leaving for the attack, Abu Aisheh was videotaped by Ahmad Asi, a journalist from Ramallah, while holding a dagger. The Tanzim, a Fatah organization, took responsibility for the attack.
Fifteen Israelis were killed and 107 wounded in the suicide bombing of the Sbarro pizzeria in downtown Jerusalem. (Aug 9, 2001)
The female who led the suicide bomber to the attack site: Ahlam Tamimi.
A 20-year-old student and journalist, originally from Jordan, Ahlam Tamimi has resided in Ramallah since 1998. In addition to leading suicide bomber Izzadin Masri to the attack, Tamimi collected intelligence information about the site beforehand. During her questioning by the ISA (Israel Security Agency), she stated that she had carried a camera with her and spoke in English with the suicide bomber, who carried a guitar case with the bomb inside, in order to appear as a tourist.
In addition, Tamimi was responsible for placing a bomb concealed in a can of beer in a Jerusalem supermarket on June 30, 2001, shortly after she was recruited by Hamas. During her questioning she admitted being aware that "she might have died as a martyr."
King George Street, Jerusalem
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Three Israelis were killed and dozens wounded in this suicide bombing on King George Street in Jerusalem (March 21, 2002).
The two females who led the suicide bomber to the attack site: Kahira Sa'adi and Sana'a Shahada.
Kahira Sa'adi, 26, from Al-Ram, is married and the mother of four children. She confessed during her questioning by the ISA that she had guided suicide bomber Muhammad Hashaika to Jerusalem. Sa'adi stated that Abdel Karim Ouweis, a senior Fatah operative in the West Bank who was arrested during operation Defensive Shield and whom she met in the Jenin refugee camp, asked her to exploit her western appearance to infiltrate a suicide bomber into Jerusalem. In addition, she confessed that after the King George attack she agreed to infiltrate another suicide bomber with a bigger bomb.
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Sana'a Shahada, 27, from the Kalandia refugee camp, confessed during her questioning that she had been involved with Sa'adi in the infiltration of the suicide bomber. Shahada also revealed that she had been the girlfriend and facilitator of Nasser Shawish, a senior PIJ operative from Jenin, who had recently been arrested by the security forces. She admitted agreeing to his request that she infiltrate a suicide bomber into Jerusalem, revealing that they purchased a bouquet of flowers at the checkpoint at the city's entrance, which bomber Hashaika held in order to blend in with the crowd on Mother's Day. Furthermore, she stated that she walked 50 meters behind Sa'adi and Hashaika, because she was wearing traditional Arab garb and did not want to arouse suspicion.
Three Israelis were killed and 59 wounded in this suicide bombing of a Netanya marketplace (May 19, 2002).
The woman who led the suicide bomber to the attack site: Da'a Jiusi.
Da'a Jiusi, a 21-year-old student from Tulkarm, confessed during her ISA questioning that she had been asked by PFLP operatives from Nablus to guide the suicide bomber to the attack. Jiusi also stated that her controller had asked her if she would be willing to perpetrate the attack herself. She refused to sacrifice herself, but agreed to participate in the attack. She told her controller that she was familiar with Netanya, and especially its beach, which she would often visit before the intifada. Jiusi was asked to accompany the suicide bomber to the target and provide cover as an innocent-lookng couple.
On the day of the attack Jiusi entered the city wearing a tight white shirt and tight pants, as well as sunglasses. She carried a brown purse and her hair was tied with a ribbon. She further confessed that, prior to deciding to carry out the attack in the market, they had explored other options, such as the Netanya mall or the promenade area. Upon arriving at the entrance to the market, Jiusi exited the taxi and scanned the area on foot. She then returned, asked the driver to wait, and led the suicide bomber into the market. Jiusi asked the bomber to wait approximately five minutes before detonating the bomb he carried in his bag, so she could get away in the cab. Jiusi returned to the taxi and a few minutes later the explosion occurred.
Two Israelis were killed and 36 wounded in the suicide bombing in a Rishon Lezion pedestrian mall on May 22, 2002.
The woman who was supposed to perpetrate the attack and then backed out: Arin Ahmed.
A 20-year-old student from Beit Sahour, Arin Ahmed was supposed to participate in the suicide attack in Rishon Lezion. During her questioning by the ISA, she stated that she had decided to carry out the attack following the death of her friend, a Tanzim operative who was killed that March. Ahmed, along with Issa Badir, the 16-year-old suicide bomber who subsequently perpetrated the attack, were led to the site of the attack by Ibrahim Sarahne and his wife Irena, from the former Soviet Union.
The original plan was that Badir would detonate his charge near the chess tables in the promenade area, and Ahmed, who was waiting across the street, would detonate her bomb once people started running in her direction in panic. Ahmed and Badir carried their explosive charges in bags, each of which weighed about 35 kilograms. Each charge was to be detonated by a switch connected by wires protruding from the bag. Ahmed stated that once she had seen the site where she was to detonate her charge she changed her mind and asked to return home. Before leaving to carry out the attack, Ahmed wrote a farewell letter to her family, purified herself, prayed, and videotaped herself. In order to look like an Israeli, she also wore tight pants and a halter-top.
High school student Ofir Rahum, 16, was lured to his death on January 17, 2001.
The woman who seduced and lured the teenage boy to his death: Mona Awana.
Mona Awana, 26, is a Fatah operative from Bir Naballah near Ramallah. She was involved in the kidnapping and murder of Ofir Rahum, 16, on January 17, 2001. Awana, an academic and journalist, was responsible for proposing to her friend, Hassan al-Kadi, a Tanzim operative in Ramallah, to kidnap an Israeli after making contact with him on the Internet. Awana made contact with the boy over the Internet and lured him into meeting with her, after which she led him to the scene of his murder.
Attempted stabbing of an IDF soldier at the Taiba checkpoint, February 24, 2002.
Noura Ghanem, 16, of Tulkarm, attempted to stab an IDF soldier at the Taiba checkpoint near Tulkarm. Ghanem left her home late in the evening, without her family's knowledge, and went to the checkpoint to carry out a stabbing attack. The soldiers at the checkpoint initiated the protocol for arresting a suspect [ordering her to halt, firing warning shots], which ended in Ghanem being shot to death. Ghanem's family moved to Tulkarm from Deir al-Achoun during the 1960s and is one of the most respected in Tulkarm. They discovered Ghanem's will at home, in which she dedicated her terrorist attack to her Palestinian brothers who were killed during the intifada. The Fatah took responsibility for dispatching Ghanem to carry out the stabbing attack.
Planting of a bomb at the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station on August 3, 2001.
Iman Asha, 27, from Nablus, married and the mother of two, attempted to place a bomb containing some 5 kilos of explosives and packed with nails and screws to cause maximum casualties at the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station. An alert security guard challenged her and she dropped the bomb and ran, but was later arrested. Iman's husband was suspected of having collaborated with Israel, and she agreed to his request to perpetrate the attack in order to "clear the family name" and to improve the family's status. Asha's brother, a known Fatah operative, was also involved in the attempted attack. Asha's husband was also arrested by security forces.
A "work accident" on the way from Tulkarm to Nablus, August 31, 2001.
Abir Hamdan, 26, from Nablus, was killed on August 31, 2001 while she was transporting a bomb in a taxi from Tulkarm to Nablus. Apparently the explosion occurred prematurely during preparations for a terrorist attack on a restaurant in Hadera. Hamdan was controlled by Tanzim operatives in the Nablus area. She had been engaged to a Fatah militiaman from Nablus and was known to have many romantic ties to other operatives in the organization. Apparently the motive for the attack was to improve her status in Palestinian society.
A would-be suicide bomber is arrested.
Tahani Titi, 24, an academic from Al-Aroub, was arrested by the security forces after she was identified as someone who intended to perpetrate a suicide attack. During her ISA questioning, Titi stated that in September 2001 she met Walid Sabih, a wanted Tanzim operative from Bethlehem who was later targeted and killed by the IDF. While Titi had intended to marry Sabih, once she realized he was a womanizer she abandoned the idea, keeping in contact with him only by phone. In June 2002, Titi became desperate living at home and decided to commit suicide. Sabih, who at first attempted to dissuade her, then told her that if she were going to end her life, she might as well do it for a good cause.
Sabih told Tahani he would introduce her to two Tanzim operatives in Ramallah who would help her carry out the suicide attack. A few days later, they received word that the operatives from Ramallah had been arrested, and that the suicide attack would have to be postponed. At the beginning of June Titi tried to commit suicide by taking a drug overdose, but the attempt failed. She explained that she desired to end her life, not for nationalistic reasons, but because of her father, who repeatedly beat her, and failed love affairs at the university. She also told Sabih that she did not hate Jews and that during her visits to Israel she had been favorably impressed and wanted to live a free life like the Israelis.
Titi's case is a classic example of the terrorist organizations' cynical exploitation of innocent and unstable young women.
A would-be suicide bomber is intercepted on her way to an attack.
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Thawiya Hamour, 26, from Jaba, was arrested in Tulkarm on her way to perpetrate a suicide attack in Jerusalem. During her questioning by the Shin Bet, she mentioned that four months prior to her arrest she had met Mounir Halwa, who proposed marriage. Hamour's family refused his offer, due to the fact she had decided to commit a suicide terrorist attack. Hamour contacted Tanzim operatives from Jaba and Nablus, who prepared her for the attack. According to the plan, Hamour was to drive to from Nablus to Kalandia and from there to east Jerusalem. She was to go from there to west Jerusalem and carry out a suicide attack in a densely populated area. Hamour was fitted with an explosive belt in an apartment in Nablus, and underwent a detailed briefing how to detonate it. Her operators also supplied her with a bag full of nails to maximize the destruction, and the total charge weighed approximately 35 kilograms. All Hamour had to remember was to push the detonator button on her waist.
Hamour backed out at the last minute, claiming her operators directed her to dress provocatively like an Israeli woman, such as wearing her hair down, heavy makeup, and tight pants. During media interviews Hamour stated that, "I wasn't afraid. I'm not afraid to die. I went for personal reasons. However, I did not want to arrive 'upstairs' for impure reasons. I did not want to dress that way, because it is against my religion." Another dispute between Hamour and her operators was their demand she detonate the bomb even if she did not reach the target site, if there were a chance she had aroused suspicion and would get caught. "To blow myself up for nothing, what for?" she asked. "To die just so that my operators can brag about carrying out a terrorist attack?"
A would-be suicide bomber is arrested in Tulkarm.
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Shfaa al-Koudsi, 26, a Tanzim operative from Tulkarm, is divorced with one daughter. She was tracked down on April 11, 2002, a day after the IDF's withdrawal from Tulkarm during Operation Defensive Shield, in her parents apartment while she was preparing to leave the next day to perpetrate a suicide attack. During her questioning by the Shin Bet, she confessed that she was supposed to carry out the attack with a young man. Koudsi intended to carry an explosive charge camouflaged under a maternity dress to free her of suspicion. The young man was to wear an additional explosive charge and place a third charge at the attack site before they detonated the charges they carried on their bodies. The plan was for Koudsi to detonate her explosive belt first, and then her partner would detonate his, and then the third charge would detonate. Koudsi prepared a will bidding her daughter and family goodbye. Her arrest thwarted her plan to perpetrate a suicide attack and prevented innumerable dead and wounded. Koudsi's brother was arrested in February 2002, on his way to perpetrate a suicide attack.
A 15-year-old girl is recruited as a suicide bomber.
A 15-year-old Bethlehem girl was arrested upon the IDF's entrance to the city during Operation Defensive Shield. During the minor's questioning by the Shin Bet, she confessed that she had been recruited into the Fatah's al-Aqsa Brigades by her uncle, a senior Tanzim activist and bomb manufacturer from Bethlehem. The girl stated that she approached her uncle and expressed her willingness to perpetrate a terrorist attack in Israel. Her uncle promised to supply her with an explosive belt and asked her to recruit friends to carry out terrorist attacks. The girl's younger sister discovered her plans and told their mother. Both mother and daughter threatened to take her out of school and to tell her father. The girl confessed and admitted to making contact with Fatah, PIJ, and Hamas operatives. A few days later she again expressed her desire to commit suicide to her uncle, however he explained that, due to the US's designation of the Tanzim as a terrorist organization, they did not want to involve women in suicide attacks. Following the suicide attack by Ayat Ahras in a Kiryat Hayovel supermarket in Jerusalem on March 29, 2002, the minor stated that, "The suicide attack was not a quality attack, due to the fact that only three people were killed."
A would-be suicide bomber is arrested in Gaza.
Iman Abu Housa, 21, of Jabaliya, left for the Rafah area on April 25, 2002, where she hid behind a building and began crawling toward an Israeli settlement, where she intended to blow herself up. Soldiers detected her and arrested her. Abu Housa had shared her plans to perpetrate a suicide attack with two Fatah military operatives from the Gaza Strip, who trained her to handle a grenade and a Kalshnikov rifle. Prior to leaving for the attack Abu Housa wrote a will asking forgiveness from her parents.
Another would-be suicide bomber is arrested.
Leila Bahari, 26, of Nablus, was arrested on July 1, 2002 after her name was revealed during the interrogation of Nasser Shawish, a senior Fatah operative, as someone who that February had expressed willingness to perpetrate a suicide attack. Bahari is the one who dressed Darin Abu Aisha in the explosive belt she wore when she blew herself up at the Maccabim checkpoint on February 27, 2002.
Summary and Conclusions
From the above data we can clearly see how the phenomenon of using women to carry out terrorist attacks during the Al-Aqsa intifada has grown, both in scope and in the type of attack, with the apex being the perpetration of suicide attacks by women.
The following data indicate a number of central motives behind the use of women in terrorist activity:
Legitimization by religious and military leaders - Senior members of terrorist organizations who have recently remarked on the involvement of women in terrorist attacks have expressed their support and given their endorsement in speeches and public statements. For example, the spiritual head of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, stated in an interview with an Arab journalist in London in August 2001 that, "Palestinian women do not need a religious ruling in order to perpetrate a suicide attack" and claimed that under certain circumstances "Islam permits it."
In addition, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a senior Hamas activist, stated at the end of August 2001 in an interview with Abu Tibi Television that, "There is no reason that the perpetration of suicide attacks should be monopolized by men."
The national-religious motive - The violent acts, along with the rising popularity of fundamentalist Islam, have intensified the feeling of hatred on the Palestinian street, including among the women, who have expressed their desire to become involved in acts of violence against Israel.
Socio-economic motives - Women who come from a problematic social and economic background (for example, divorcees, women who are infertile, women related to collaborators with Israel, and women with "bad reputations" due to their promiscuity) have expressed their desire to participate in terrorist attacks in order to elevate their status and image in Palestinian society.
Romantic motives - Many women have had romantic relationships with men who are members of terrorist organizations. This has considerably increased their desire to participate in terrorist activity, and indeed many such women have been encouraged to take part in this activity by their partners.
In most cases it appears we area dealing with a combination of the aforementioned motives, with varying degrees of influence of each motive on the individual terrorist. However, the personal and social motives appear to be the most dominant.
During the current intifada the number of public displays of willingness and volunteering by Palestinian women to perpetrate terrorist attacks has grown. This is due to the legitimization given to women's participation in the struggle against Israel by Palestinian religious leaders and terrorist organizations, as well as the fact that the women feel this is the first time they are able to participate in military resistance and not only civilian activity. During the funeral of Wafa Idris following her suicide attack, a Palestinian woman from Tulkarm boldly stated, "This woman will not be the last. We will all booby-trap our bodies and blow ourselves up in the Jews' faces."