Wounded Israelis and the bodies of murdered Israelis arrive in Israel on March 20, after the Israel Defense Forces airlifted them from Turkey following the March 19 terror attack in Istanbul. Photo: Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs via Facebook.

JNS.org – The Israeli Defense Ministry has decided to officially recognize last month’s suicide bombing in Istanbul as an attack targeting Israelis, and the Israelis killed or wounded in the attack will be recognized as victims of terrorism.

This means that the Israeli survivors of the bombing will be eligible for benefits from Israel’s National Insurance Institute, in accordance under the Compensation for Victims of Terror Law. The Defense Ministry said in a statement that “the material presented to the decision-making authority in the ministry indicates that there is reasonable basis to assume that the attack targeted Israelis.”

After the bombing on March 19, Turkish media reported that the attacker, Mehmet Ozturk, had waited outside a restaurant where Israelis were dining and detonated himself shortly after they left the premises. The attack killed Israeli tourists Simha Dimri, Yonatan Suher, and Avraham Goldman, while wounding 10 other Israelis. An Iranian tourist was also killed in the bombing, and a total of 36 people were injured. Three of the wounded Israelis were flown back to the Jewish state in serious condition, and now face extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation. Two arrived back in Israel in moderate to serious condition.