Father Injured in Elad Terror Attack Released Home After Months in Hospital
Israeli security personnel guard the area where at least three people were killed in what police suspect was a Palestinian attack in Elad, on Israeli Independence Day, in Israel, May 5, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
A man who was seriously injured in a Palestinian terrorist attack on Israel’s Independence Day was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, and greeted by a crowd of singing well-wishers after his months-long recovery.
Shai Ben Shlomo, 38, was wounded in a deadly attack in the central city of Elad on the evening of May 5, when two Palestinian men from the Jenin area in the West Bank entered Israel illegally before assaulting multiple victims with axes and knives.
Three people were killed in the attack, including 44-year-old Yonatan Habakuk, a father of five who was hacked to death in front of his young son; 49-year-old Boaz Gol, also a father of five; and 35-year-old Oren Ben Yiftach, a father of six.
Five other people were severely injured, according to an indictment against the perpetrators. Among them was Ben Shlomo, who was sitting on a park bench reading the Book of Psalms when he was attacked in front of his four children, ages two to eight.
“My son said that he saw Shai fall on the ground and fail to rise,” Ben Shlomo’s wife, Batya, told Israeli media shortly after the attack.
“They are in serious trauma, afraid to leave the house and constantly asking if the terrorist was caught,” she said of her children at the time. “I don’t know how they will recover from such sights. They are used to seeing their father so strong.”
Ben Shlomo was released on Wednesday from Sheba Medical Center after undergoing a series of operations and remaining unconscious for 10 days. He was greeted at home by family, local youth, and yeshiva students, as well as the mayor of Elad and his deputy.
In a video, which can be viewed below, Ben Shlomo is seen embracing his children, standing upright, and smiling at a crowd of well-wishers who sang in celebration of his recovery. He was moved by the reception and expressed gratitude for prayers made for his recovery, local media reported.
בשורות טובות: לאחר 3 חודשי אשפוז הפצוע האנוש מהפיגוע הנורא באלעד שי בן שלמה השתחרר לביתו. מרגש. pic.twitter.com/H08ti7gXmx
— אריאל אלחרר (@ariel_elharar_) July 28, 2022