This week in 1995, a bomb exploded at the Beit Lid junction near Netanya, killing 18 soldiers and one civilian.
Ohad Sahar Ha Levi described the scene:
On January 22,1995, as an 18 year old soldier in the paratroops (Force 202), I stood waiting at Beit Lid Junction. A few moments after 9 o’clock am two suicide bombers dressed as soldiers infiltrated the military bus station where hundreds of young soldiers waited to go to their bases. In one last moment, where I remember talking to a fellow soldier, a massive explosion of a suicide bomber ripped all our lives apart. A second attacker exploded a few minutes later as medical personal had already responded to the scene. I cannot explain to you the casualty I saw this day, or what it means to see and feel 22 young soldiers blown apart The soldiers killed were: Lt. David Ben-Zino, 20, of Ashdod; Lt. Adi Rosen, 20, of Moshav Bitzaron; Lt. Yuval Tuvya, 22, of Jerusalem; Sgt.-Maj. Anan Kadur, 24, of Daliat al-Carmel; Staff-Sgt. Damian Rosovski, 20, of Kadima; Staff-Sgt. Yehiel Sharvit, 21, of Haifa; Staff-Sgt. Yaron Blum, 20, of Jerusalem; Sgt. Maya Kopstein, 19, of Jerusalem; Sgt. Daniel Tzikuashvili, 19, of Jerusalem; Sgt. Avi Salto, 19, of Rishon Lezion; Sgt. Rafael Mizrahi, 19, of Ramat Gan; Sgt. Eran Gueta, 20, of Ashkelon; Cpl. Soli Mizrahi, 18, of Ramat Ramat Gan; Cpl. David Hasson, 18, of Ashkelon; Cpl. Amir Hirschenson, 18, of Jerusalem; Cpl. Gilad Gaon, 18, of Herzliya; Cpl. Ilie Dagan, 18, of Kochav Yair; Cpl. Eitan Peretz, 18, of Nahariya; and Shabtai Mahpud, 34, of Moshav Tnuvot. Moments after the first bomb went off, a second was detonated, in an attempt to kill first responders rushing to the scene.
Lt. Eyal Levy, 20, of Ashdod, and Cpl. Yaniv Weiser, 18, of Givatayim, who were seriously wounded in the attacks, later died of their wounds. Dozens more were seriously wounded.
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.
On the anniversary of the attack, Islamic Jihad took to social media, bragging of the "heroic martyrdom operation". No regrets, no talk of peace, just raw glorification of violence and terror.
For Islamic Jihad and those that chose a life of terror the young Israeli lives lost, and the shattered families are a source of pride and inspiration. This vile glorification of violence hasn't abated in 27 years.
