Prominent Israeli Underworld Figure Injured in Jerusalem Car Bombing

A powerful car bomb exploded in Jerusalem's Armon HaNatziv neighborhood on Tuesday morning, critically injuring Itzik Bar-Moha, 58, a figure long associated with the city's underworld. His 13-year-old son, who was in the passenger seat, was also injured. The explosion occurred on Meir Feinstein Street as the pair were driving to the boy's school. Magen David Adom received the initial call shortly after 8:15 AM. Paramedics treated the father and son en route to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center. Bar-Moha was hospitalized in the trauma unit with multiple system injuries and burns. His son, suffering from burns and bruises, was conscious during transport, with his condition described as ranging from moderate to severe.

Residents reported a powerful blast that shook their homes. Videos from the scene show the father and son on the road near their burning vehicle. Police sappers, investigators, and forensic scientists collected evidence at the scene. Investigators believe the explosive device was attached to the underside of the car. The district commander has transferred the investigation to the central unit, and police stated the motive is criminal, not national security related. No arrests have been reported.

Bar-Moha was once a prominent figure in Jerusalem's criminal scene, heading the "Jerusalem Gang." Since the early 2000s, he has been linked to numerous cases involving violence, property crimes, drugs, and weapons. Police had reportedly been monitoring him and had warned him that he was a target for assassination. He was previously implicated in the 2002 Bank Leumi scandal, where bank employee Etti Alon embezzled approximately NIS 250 million, much of which allegedly went to Bar-Moha to cover gambling debts. He was arrested for eight months and later convicted of extortion, tax offenses, and operating illegal casinos as part of a plea deal, serving a total of 13 years in prison before his release in 2016.

Even during his imprisonment, Bar-Moha was reportedly involved in illicit activities, including arranging loans from prison. Shortly after his release, he was arrested on suspicion of extorting merchants and was also suspected of involvement in attempts to harm a former business partner and his brother, including a car bombing in 2016, though insufficient evidence led to no indictment. In 2018, he was arrested again in connection with an attempt to assassinate a rival of crime boss Odeh Kotayr, a case that also ended in a plea deal and a five-year sentence. After his release in 2021, he moved to Yavne, where he reportedly engaged in turf wars with local crime organizations. His recent return to Jerusalem had raised concerns among police about a potential resurgence of gang conflicts in the city.