A wave of deadly terrorist attacks erupted over the weekend, leading to the death of four Israelis and the injury of several others.
Beginning on Thursday evening, gunmen murdered a young married couple as they drove through Samaria with their four children in the car. Eitam and Naama Hankin were shot multiple times in their vehicle and were pronounced dead when Israel’s first responders arrived on-scene. The children (ages 4 months, 4 years, 7 years, and 9 years) were unharmed physically but suffered the trauma of witnessing their parents’ murder. A massive search for the murderers was launched, and within 24 hours the IDF and Shin Bet located and arrested the five Hamas members believed to be responsible. It is believed the children’s lives were saved only because one of the terrorists accidentally shot one of his partners, causing them to flee in a hurry.
Ten thousand people attended the funeral of the Eitan and Naama Hankin, where their oldest son recited the mourner’s kaddish and brought everyone to tears. The children will likely be raised by their maternal grandmother.
Then on Saturday evening, another family was attacked as they walked through the Old City of Jerusalem. As Shabbat ended, a Palestinian man with a knife ambushed Aharon Benita, his wife Adele, and their 2-year-old son. Another Jewish man heard the struggle and ran to help, but was also severely attacked by the terrorist. The young woman managed to break away and find Israeli security forces, who shot and killed the terrorist when they arrived on scene. The two adult male victims, Aharon Benita and Rabbi Nehemia Lavie, died of their wounds shortly afterward. Lavie left behind a wife and seven children. Adele sustained severe injuries and is still hospitalized but expected to recover. Her son was only lightly wounded in the attack, and has been reunited with his mother.
Adele spoke to reporters and gave her harrowing account of that night:
We were walking to the Kotel [the Western Wall]. We saw that a lot of people were walking alongside us. We didn’t think there would be a problem. The streets were crowded.
We prayed at the Kotel. And on our way back, there were lots of people around us.
We got to an area where we suddenly noticed that we were alone. Everyone had disappeared. I asked Aharon, ‘Where is everybody?’ [Because] there weren’t enough people around for us to feel safe.
So we decided to run to a safer area, near security forces, and then we would continue on our way.
Suddenly, he [the terrorist]emerged from one of the shops, that vile murderer. I didn’t understand what was happening to me.
I felt someone at my back, and then I saw my husband starting to confront him. Aharon punched him in the face. My husband is a big man; he really fought with him. He’s extremely strong… [But then the terrorist turned around] and started stabbing me, and after that resumed stabbing my husband.
Many Arabs were around us watching what was happening. They simply laughed and smiled.
I really begged, ‘Help me, help me!’
He [the terrorist]pushed Aharon down to the ground and continued stabbing him. I tried to fight him, to get the knife out of his hand. I realized I wouldn’t be able to; I felt I was about to fall. I thought I had to alert security forces.
[When I reached them], I told them that I was wounded and that my children and my husband were back there. I fell on the ground; I couldn’t move.
As I ran to them, I heard cursing; I got slapped, yelled at. They were animals. I felt that it had been organized.
The wave of terror continued with another knife attack on Sunday morning, when a 19-year-old Palestinian man stabbed a 15-year-old Jewish boy at a gas station in Jerusalem. The boy survived, but security forces shot and killed the attacker.
Many other attacks took place throughout Israel over the weekend, which thankfully did not result in fatalities. Prime Minister Netanyahu sent hundreds of additional security forces into Jerusalem and the surrounding areas to deal with widespread Palestinian riots. There have been some Jewish retaliatory attacks against Palestinians, as well, further inflaming the situation. Meanwhile, rockets from Gaza were launched but failed to hit their intended targets.
The situation remains dangerous and threatens to escalate. The Palestinian leadership refuses to condemn the terrorist attacks, instead choosing to justify them as legitimate responses to Israel’s “occupation.” Hamas has openly praised the attacks and called for more Palestinians to engage in what could soon become the third intifada.
