Description: Three empty buses have exploded in the city of Bat Yam near Tel – Aviv as suspicions of a terrorist attack saw Israeli police forces and the Shin Bet conducting the investigation. The explosives were equipped with a timer set to explode around 8:30 PM local time after the buses ended their daily shifts, no victims were reported. Remaining bus lines in the region were halted and ordered to conduct thorough inspections, no other explosive devices were identified during the inspection. Early suspicions arose that the bombings were a response to IDF’s operations in the West Bank, but no further evidence was disclosed as the investigation was unfolding. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to ramp up operations in the West Bank and ordered counterterrorism units to be on high level of preparedness.
Impact: With further hostage exchanges agreed upon, the bombing attack threatens to endanger the continuity of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Israel is looking at Hamas as their usual suspects for the bombing while the terrorist organization hasn’t claimed responsibility for the bombing. The enhanced level of military operations in the West Bank by the IDF could solicitate a more aggressive response from Hamas which could plunge the region into another round of intense armed fighting. With negotiations around the second and third phase of the ceasefire agreement intensifying, the attack goes in no favor of either side.