Israeli Families Torn Apart by Terror

Stand for Israel  |  August 21, 2023

As the High Holy Days approach and the Jewish people prepare for the holiest time of year, those in the Jewish state are also facing an uptick in terror—terror aimed too often at the most vulnerable, including families. This was the case today, reports The Times of Israel’s Emanuel Fabian, when an Israeli mother was killed in a terror shooting while driving with her young daughter:

An Israeli woman was shot dead and a man was seriously wounded in a terror attack close to the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Monday morning, the military and medics said.

The pair, both in their 40s, came under fire from a passing vehicle while driving on the Route 60 highway, close to the Beit Hagai junction, south of Hebron, according to the Israel Defense Forces…

…Batsheva Nigri, a 42-year-old mother of three from the West Bank settlement of Beit Hagai who worked as a kindergarten teacher in nearby Efrat.

The wounded man was identified as Aryeh Leib, also in his 40s. He was rushed to Beersheba’s Soroka Hospital in serious condition but stabilized after undergoing surgery, medical officials said. Leib is a father of six who had been en route to buy books for his children.

Nigri’s 12-year-old daughter was in the car during the attack but was unharmed, MDA said…

And over the weekend, a father and son in the Holy Land were murdered, Israel Hayom reports, after the terrorist made sure they were Israeli:

A Palestinian terrorist shot and killed an Israeli father and son on Saturday in the Palestinian village of Hawara.

Shay Silas Nigrekar, 60, and Aviad Nir, 28, had stopped at a local car wash, when a terrorist – who had reportedly heard that there were Israelis nearby – walked up to the car wash on foot, opened fire with a handgun and fled…

The US State Department decried the attack, saying, “We unequivocally condemn today’s [Saturday] terrorist attack in the West Bank that killed two Israelis. The United States expresses its condolences to their families and calls for immediate steps to end the violence and incitement to violence.”

Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad both praised the shooting.

Since the beginning of 2023, 33 people (31 Israelis, one tourist, and one Gazan) have been killed in terror attacks, as well as 109 were injured, including seven security forces.

Please pray for the recovery of those wounded, as well as for the loved ones of those lost. And please pray for God’s protection over His people.