Hassan Ismail Tawatha

May 19, 2003 - Hassan Ismail Tawatha, 41, of Jisr a-Zarqa was one of three people killed in a suicide bombing at the entrance to the Amakim Mall in Afula. The Islamic Jihad and the Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades both claimed responsibility for the attack.

A new security guard was on duty at the doorway when his metal detector began beeping as the bomber, a young woman, reached the entrance. He called to his partner, Hadar Gitlin, apparently to ask for her help, when the bomb went off. The security guard, Hassan Ismail Tawatha and Avi Zarihan were killed; Hadar was one of 70 people wounded in the blast. By preventing the suicide bomber from entering the mall, filled with about 2,500 people, the guards saved countless lives.

Hassan Tawatha was a devout Muslim from the Israeli Arab village of Jisr a-Zarqa, located south of Kibbutz Ma'agan Michael on the Mediterranean coast. He had worked for 15 years fixing lawn mowers at a workshop in Hadera. He dreamt of opening an electronics shop on land he had bought in his home village, and in preparation had been attending classes in electronics for the past six months, every Monday and Thursday, at the regional college located in the shopping mall. He was mortally wounded at the entrance to the mall and died after being rushed to the hospital.

Hassan's cousin said, "The situation is very hard. The family is in shock. They don't know what they will live on."

Hassan Ismail Tawatha was buried in Jisr a-Zarqa. He is survived by his wife, Aida, his daughter Asra, 5, and his sons Ahmed, 4, and Amin, 3, as well as two brothers.