The Perpetrators
A few hours after the blast, Hamas issued a communique stating that the bombing was carried out by a 19-year-old Palestinian named Ra'id Zaqarna, who originated from the village of Qabatya in the West Bank and who was a member of the Abdel el-Rahman Hamadan militant cell of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Zaqarna drove to the intersection of Afula's 9th Brigade (Hativa Tesha) street, and pulled in front of the #348 bus. As a group of Israeli students boarded the bus, Zaqarna detonated the bomb.
In addition, Hamas publicly declared that the attack, which was carried out 40 days after the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre (the end of the mourning period according to the Islamic religion), was carried out in revenge for the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre.
Read more about this topic: Afula Bus Suicide Bombing