Mark Biano

Oct 4, 2003 - Mark Biano, 29, of Haifa was one of 21 people killed in a suicide bombing carried out by a female terrorist from Jenin in the Maxim restaurant in Haifa. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.

The blast devastated the restaurant, of joint Jewish-Arab ownership, on Hahagana Boulevard near the southern entrance of the coastal city. It was packed mostly with regular Saturday customers. The bomber, Hanadi Jaradat, a 29-year-old lawyer from Jenin, managed to get past Maxim's security guard before blowing herself up in the middle of the restaurant. The security guard, an Israeli Arab, was killed in the attack, along with three other Israeli Arab employees of the restaurant. The victims included five members of the Almog family from Haifa and five members of the Zer-Aviv family from Kibbutz Yagur. Four children were killed and 60 people were wounded in the bombing.

Mark Biano, a local reporter known for covering terrorist attacks, could not be reached Saturday by staff members of the local Haifa cable TV news magazine, News of the Day. They desperately wanted him get to the scene of the attack at the Maxim restaurant. "They called him on his cellphone, his phone, tried paging him, nothing worked," said Eliran Tal, another reporter at the station. "We continued covering the attack until we heard of his death. We put the cameras and microphones aside, and this attack became a personal tragedy."

Mark and his wife Naomi usually ate Shabbat lunch with his sister. She was vacationing in Eilat and the couple decided this time to eat at Maxim. Both were killed.

Mark and Naomi were married about two years ago, after which they spent a long honeymoon traveling in the United States and the Caribbean islands. After returning home, Mark resumed his work as a reporter covering municipal and environment affairs, while also studying law at Haifa University. He broadcast his last news report on Thursday, two days before he was killed.

Mark Biano was buried alongside his wife Naomi in Haifa. He is survived by his parents and sister.