Mehbere Kifile

Jan 29, 2004 - Mehbere Kifile, 35, of Ethiopia was one of 11 people killed in a suicide bombing on a no. 19 Egged bus at the corner of Gaza and Arlozorov streets in Jerusalem.

Bus no. 19 starts its route at Hadassah Ein Kerem and makes its way through the center of Jerusalem to Hadassah Hospital and the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus. The bomber was in the back of the bus when he detonated the explosives as the bus drove up Gaza Street. The blast tore apart the bus, turning it into a twisted wreck. The back half of the roof was blown into the air and every window was blown out. In addition, over 50 people were wounded, 13 of them seriously. Both the Fatah-related Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

A reexamination of body parts brought to the Abu Kabir forensic institute on Saturday revealed that another woman was killed in Thursday's suicide attack in Jerusalem, bringing the death toll to 11. After Mehbere's husband reported her missing, she was identified as 35-year-old Mehbere Kifile, an illegal foreign worker from Ethiopia. Mehbere had originally come to Israel eight years ago as a tourist and decided to stay and work. She was identified using DNA samples taken from her apartment in Jerusalem.