Three empty buses exploded in Bat Yam, a city on the southern outskirts of Tel Aviv, late Thursday night in what police are calling a suspected terrorist attack. Although the blasts did not cause any injuries, two additional explosive devices failed to detonate.
Local media reported that one of these unexploded devices carried a note alluding to “revenge” for a recent Israeli military raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. In response to the incident, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the military to launch an “intensive operation against centres of terrorism” in the West Bank.
Social media footage captured one bus completely engulfed in flames, with thick plumes of smoke rising into the night sky. Shortly after the explosions, police spokesperson Aryeh Doron urged the public to stay alert and report any suspicious packages or objects.
Doron also mentioned that investigators were still determining whether the devices were set to detonate at an unintended time, noting, “We may be lucky if indeed the terrorists set these timers to the wrong hour, but it’s too early to determine.”Police commander Haim Sargarof added that the devices used in the blasts resembled those previously found in the West Bank, where operations against militants have been ongoing for months. One of the unexploded mechanisms, weighing about 5 kilograms (11 pounds), reportedly bore a message that read “Revenge from Tulkarm,” seemingly referring to the Israeli raid on the northern West Bank refugee camp.
After the incident, the Palestinian militant group Tulkarm Brigade issued a statement declaring, “Revenge for the martyrs will not be forgotten as long as the occupier sits on our land,” though they did not claim responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces have intensified raids in the West Bank—particularly in Tulkarm and Jenin—where such operations have resulted in significant casualties among Palestinian militants.
