Thousands mourn victims of Palestinian bus disaster

Tragedy struck north of Jerusalem Thursday morning when nine Palestinian children and one of their teachers were killed during a school outing. Eight others were seriously injured and dozens were injured when a truck collided head-on with their bus near the Hizma checkpoint.

The bus overturned, caught on fire and quickly turned into a death trap for those inside. Israeli rescue crews arrived at the scene and evacuated some of the injured, but nevertheless, following the catastrophe some Palestinians claimed that the IDF had hindered rescue operations.

Thousands of mourners took part in the funerals for the victims Thursday in the Palestinian villages of Anata and Shuafat. “This is a terrible disaster, a real tragedy,” a relative of one victim told Israel Hayom.

At a special press conference on Thursday, Palestinian Health Minister Fathi Abumoghli said, “It was very difficult to identify the bodies because they had been totally burned. That was a very difficult sight.” Abumoghli also took the opportunity to denounce IDF soldiers, who he said had not offered the injured assistance, and had even held up some medical teams at checkpoints.

Despite the health minister’s accusations, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday said that no one was responsible for the accident, which occurred due to poor weather conditions. He also announced a three-day mourning period.

Israel’s Health Ministry also denied the accusations, saying that the minute its officials learned of the accident, they had worked with the health coordinator of the Civil Administration, offering the Palestinian Authority the option of transferring injured victims to hospitals in Israel. When the Palestinians declined, the Health Ministry offered to help by sending Israeli doctors to the Palestinian Authority. “The Palestinian health minister rejected our offers,” a source in the Health Ministry said.

Despite the minister’s comments, several Palestinian children are currently being treated at hospitals across Israel.

“Our health and rescue teams rushed to the scene and offered assistance, as they are obligated to do, without hesitation,“ Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman said. “Some of the injured received and are still receiving medical treatment at the best Israeli hospitals. When it comes to human life, there are no borders or politics.”

Some of the injured were treated at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, where an information center for family members was set up. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat visited the hospital on Thursday to see the injured and comfort their relatives.

Captain Jacky Binyamini, a spokesman for the Israel Fire and Rescue Services in Judea and Samaria, said on Thursday that the accident occurred in an area under Palestinian control. “We went in with three teams,” he said. “We put out the fire and extricated trapped people as well as bodies from the bus. We also turned the bus over to make sure no one was trapped underneath. It was a very disturbing scene and not an easy one to witness.”

Dubi Weisenstern, a ZAKA (victim identification) volunteer at the scene, described seeing childrens’ backpacks and shoes that had been burned to a crisp. “Anyone who came out of this with mere injuries experienced a miracle,” he said.

Ben Tzion Oring, the head of ZAKA’s Jerusalem division, said that it took the rescue teams and ZAKA some time to find the exact location, as it was in Palestinian territory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday expressed sorrow over the tragedy and pledged to provide the Palestinian Authority with any assistance necessary. President Shimon Peres also telephoned Abbas to offer his condolences.

While some Palestinians attempted to politicize the tragic deaths, some Israelis wrote hateful comments on news sites, expressing joy that the victims were Palestinian.

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