Matza restaurant suicide bombing

Location: Haifa, Israel
Attack type: suicide bomber
Deaths: 16
Injured: 40+
Perpetrator(s): Hamas

The Matza restaurant suicide bombing occurred on March 31, 2002, when a Palestinian Hamas suicide bomber detonated his bomb inside the Matza restaurant in Haifa, Israel, killing 16 people and injuring over 40.

The attack occurred at 14:45 during the Passover vacation in Israel, and the restaurant was crowded with families having their lunch. Despite the Passover suicide bombing which occurred just four days earlier in Netanya, and the tense atmosphere following it, the clients and restaurant owners were not particularly worried about security: The Matza restaurant is operated by an Israeli Arab family, and its multi-ethnic nature was thought to make it an unlikely choice for a terrorist attack.

The military wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that the bombings would continue as long as the siege of then President of the Palestinian National Authority, Yasser Arafat in Ramallah.