Terrorist attack in Jerusalem kills four soldiers
In a vehicular terror attack on January 8, a terrorist rammed his large flatbed truck into a group of soldiers just after they stepped off a bus at the Armon Hanatziv promenade in Jerusalem, killing four and injuring at least 16, some of them seriously.
The injured were evacuated to Hadassah hospital and Shaarei Tzedek hospital.
With the scene being declared a mass casualty incident, ZAKA volunteers arrived within minutes to help treat the multiple injuries, alongside the other emergency forces. Three female soldiers and one male soldier – all in their early 20s – were declared dead at the scene, three seriously injured were evacuated to ZAKA volunteers from the Jerusalem unit remain at the scene, clearing the scene of all human remains and preparing the bodies for removal from the scene.
ZAKA Jerusalem commander Bentzi Oering: “This is a very difficult attack. I arrived with other ZAKA volunteers and the scene looked like a battlefield. Many injured lay on the grass, some of them were still trapped under the terrorist’s truck.”
ZAKA Jerusalem Operations Commander Meir Akar: “A crane from the firefighters helped us lift the front part of truck so that we could free those trapped underneath. Tragically, they were no longer alive. A team from the forensics department of the Israel Police and ZAKA carried out the initial identification of the dead. ZAKA then removed the bodies of the four victims and the terrorist. Another ZAKA team remains at the scene to clear the significant amount of blood and remains to bring them to burial.”
The head of the ZAKA Rabbinic Council Rabbi Ya’acov Roget has advised the ZAKA volunteers working at the scene that they may drink water, as needed, in the event that today’s fast of 10 Tevet makes their work too difficult to carry out.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman visited the site of the terrorist attack in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Armon Hanatziv and were briefed by Jerusalem District Police Commander Yoram Halevy.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “We in Jerusalem have just experience an unprovoked terrorist attack, a murderous attack that claimed the lives of four young Israelis and wounded others. This is part of the same pattern inspired by Islamic State, by ISIS, that we saw first in France, then in Germany and now in Jerusalem. This is part of the same ongoing battle against this global scourge of the new terrorism. We can only fight it together, but we have to fight it, and we will.”
President Reuven Rivlin added“I am departing now on a state visit to Georgia though my heart remains in Israel, and it is a heavy heart indeed,” began the President. “I and Nechama send our support to the families who have lost those most dear to them, and offer strength to the injured being treated in hospital. On my return, I will visit the families.”
We had not thought for a moment that terror would not once again rear its ugly head, nor will we be broken this time either, but will continue to stand tall, and fight against terrorism. I send my support to the security services, who are working all the time against this threat, and now especially.”
World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder has condemned the “barbaric and terrifying” car-ramming attack that took the lives of at least four people and wounded more than a dozen others in Jerusalem on Sunday, and extended his deepest condolences to the victims and their families. Lauder also demanded that the Palestinian leadership do everything in its power to root out incitement to terror and put an end to such attacks.
“It is unbearable to see more Israeli lives deliberately cut short in a barbaric and terrifying act of terror, for daring to walk in the streets of Jerusalem. On behalf of the more than 100 communities represented by the World Jewish Congress, I condemn this heinous attack. Jews around the world are standing in solidarity today with Israelis, in this time of terror of fear. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families.
“In Gaza, Hamas is already gruesomely celebrating this attack, calling it heroic and handing out candies. It is incumbent upon the Palestinian leadership to root out the incitement to terror that continues to spread among its population, infecting its youth with the hunger to destroy Israelis and Israel itself. The Palestinian leadership must condemn this attack and all others in the harshest terms possible, and make it clear to its youth that carrying out such acts of terror is a cause for severe punishment, not celebration. How many more lives must be destroyed before we can finally put an end to the bloodshed?”
The terrorist, a resident of East Jerusalem who was recently released from jail, was shot at the scene.
So, where are the journalists from BBC, CNN, FOX NEWS et al??? Where are Kerry and Obama? And where is the world?
The excellent female Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reporter was there soon after the attack.