Israeli father of 6, MDA volunteer medic killed in drive-by shooting terror attack near Nablus
The victim, 35-year-old Raziel Shevah, was pronounced dead at Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba in central Israel shortly after arriving there.
Raziel Shevah. Credit: American Friends of Magen David Adom
According to reports, security forces and paramedics discovered Shevah wounded on Israel’s Route 60 with his car’s windshield riddled with bullets. At least one terrorist had opened fire on his car from a moving vehicle near the Jewish community of Havat Gilad in northern Samaria.
Shevah—who served as a volunteer medic for the Magen David Adom emergency response group—leaves behind six children, including an 8-month-old baby. The IDF said it is searching the area for the suspected terrorist.
American Friends of Magen David Adom stated, “We talk about how our medics risk their lives to save the lives of others. That’s especially true in parts of Israel where just leaving your community can be an act of faith. Our hearts go out to Raziel’s wife and children—and to our colleagues in Israel for whom this is a personal and devastating loss.”
“I want to send a clear message to our enemies. We will not surrender to terror. We choose life. I want to thank the security forces and rescue teams for their service,” said Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
In Australia, MDA’s Glynis Lipson told J-Wire: “This is tragic beyond belief. The MDA volunteers are always prepared to put their lives on the line and are always at the forefront of dangerous situations.”
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot visited the scene of the terror attack Wednesday morning, and was briefed on the details of the shooting as well as the IDF’s increased operations in the area.
“The main task at the moment is to locate the [terror] cell and to prevent it from carrying out further attacks,” Eisenkot said.
The Gaza-ruling Palestinian terror group Hamas praised the attack Tuesday night, saying in a statement, “We bless the heroic Nablus operation which comes as a result of the Zionist occupation’s violations and crimes at the expense of our people in the West Bank and Jerusalem.”
In response to the terror attack, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman tweeted Wednesday that the reason why there is no peace between Israelis and Palestinians is the Palestinian Authority’s official support for terrorism.
With JNS.org
