Suspect in 2021 bombing of Nazareth Health Ministry office brought to Israel

Nissim Kalibat, who is suspected of being involved in the 2021 Nazareth Health Ministry bombing, was brought to Israel yesterday, the State Attorney’s Office said.

An indictment filed against Kalibat charged him with positioning an explosive device in the vicinity of the Health Ministry’s office in Nazareth, subsequently detonating it via a remote control.

The explosion caused significant damage to the building. According to the indictment, the explosion was an act of deterrence and retribution on law enforcement authorities, the media reported.

In March of 2022, a day after another suspect was arrested, Kalibat fled the country, the State Attorney’s Office said.

An indictment was filed against two additional suspects in the bombing, Jaffer Fahuri and Ali Kalibat, Nissim Kalibat’s brother, that same year in April.

In January of 2023, the Moroccan authorities announced that the suspect had been arrested and would be extradited to Israel.

According to a Walla report in 2023, this was the first time Israel had asked Morocco to extradite an individual since the Abraham Accords were signed in 2020.

Attorney addresses extradition 

“He is suffering greatly in detention in Morocco, and he agreed to be extradited to Israel at the first opportunity to prove his innocence,” attorney Nick Kaufman was cited by the media as saying at the time.

Following the extradition, according to Ynet, Kaufman said, “It is unfortunate that the extradition process took such a long time, even though the individual in question expressed his desire to return to Israel quickly to prove his innocence.

“Many attempts were made to expedite the process, if only due to the deplorable detention conditions in Morocco, with the defense being more active than the Israeli government in this regard.”