Nir Regev

Oct 4, 2003 - Nir Regev, 25, of Nahariya 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.

A student at the University of Haifa, Nir Regev was set to complete his degree in statistics and political science in several weeks, after submitting his finhal paper. He worked in a local branch of Bank Hapoalim and lived in a rented flat with two friends. Nir was having lunch at Maxim with a friend, Olga, after they had spent the morning at the beach. Nir died upon arrival at Rambam Hospital, while Olga suffered moderate wounds.

Nir Regev was buried in Nahariya. He is survived by his parents, Ora and Eli, current commander of the IDF naval officers' training school in Acre, a brother Assaf, 30, and sister Einat, 19.