Female suicide bombers are women who intend to do suicide attack, wherein the bomber kills herself while simultaneously killing targeted people. Suicide bombers are normally viewed as male political radicals but since the 1960s female suicide attacks have been on the rise. Through 1985–2006, 15% of all suicide attacks were conducted by female suicide bombers. There are many organizations, such as Boko Haram, ISIS, and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, that recently started using women as tools in their attacks, since they are normally viewed as less of a threat than their male counterparts. This includes women having the element of surprise, a hesitancy to search females, increased publicity for female suicide bombing attacks, and the female stereotype as non-violent.
A U.S. Navy servicewoman poses as a captured female suicide bomber during the OPFOR exercise in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Wafa Idris, a Palestinian Red Crescent volunteer, was the first female suicide bomber in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. She killed herself while committing the Jaffa Street bombing. At the time of her suicide, Idris was a 28-year-old, divorcee, and lived in the Am'ari Refugee Camp in Ramallah.
An undated photograph of Wafa Idris taken during the first intifada. The image was distributed to the media following her death and became prominent in the Palestinian Territories and pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the Arab countries.
