The 2002 Metzer attack was a terrorist attack on Israeli civilians in Kibbutz Metzer, Israel that took place on 10 November 2002, during the Second Intifada. The victims included a family, Revital Ohayoun, the mother, and her two children, Matan, 5, and Noam, 4. Two other adults were killed by the assailant, including Tirza Damari, and Yitzhak Drori.
Muhammad Naifeh, a commander in Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, was arrested for having masterminded the attack and sentenced to 13 life sentences in Gilboa Prison for various terror attacks and shootings. Sirhan Sirhan, a Fatah terrorist was the assailant. He was killed in October 2003, while being pursued in his car in a joint operation by the Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet and the Yamam.
The attack resonated deeply with the Israeli public, particularly the murders of the family. One of the perpetrators, Mansour Shreim, also planned the 2002 Hadera attack. Days after the 2002 French Hill suicide bombing, Arafat met with Naifeh in Jerusalem and gave him an envelope with $20,000 for Tanzim activity. He opened fire on residents near the dining room and was spotted by a local couple hiding in the bushes.
The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack.
Victims
The attacker murdered filmmaker Revital Ohayoun, 34, and her two young children (Matan, 5, and Noam, 4), who were killed in their beds. Their mother was slain while died while attempting to block the gunman in the bedroom doorway.
Sirhan Sirhan (, died 2003) was identified as the assailant. He was reportedly a member of the Tanzim, an armed wing of Fatah. Despite initial claims to the contrary, he was not related to Sirhan Sirhan, the Palestinian American Christian who assassinated United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.His house was demolished on December 19, 2002, by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). On October 3, 2003, Sirhan was killed by the Yamam,
Reactions
Laura King, then global affairs correspondent for the Los Angeles Times wrote that the attack had strong traction among the Israeli public: