From Maalot to Beslan

In 1974, Palestinian terrorists took over a school in Maalot, Israel. Just like during the recent attack in Beslan in the Russian province of North Ossetia, they took school children hostage. Likely, just like in Beslan, the hostage takers did not plan on the hostages getting through their ordeal alive.

The Knesset met in an emergency session and a decision was reached to negotiate with the terrorists, but they refused to extend their deadline. Late in the afternoon, an elite unit from the Golani Brigade stormed the building and managed to kill all the terrorists, but not before they used guns and explosives to kill some of their hostages. A total of 26 Israelis were killed and more than 60 people were wounded in what became known as the Maalot Massacre.

Of those 26, 21 were children.