The three victims of Thursday night’s terror attack in central Tel Aviv have been named, with two remaining in critical condition as of Friday morning, according to doctors.
The three men, who were friends and in their 30s, had been on their way to a wedding when they were ambushed by a Palestinian gunman outside of a coffee shop on the corner of Dizengoff Street and Ben Gurion Street.
Or Asher, 32, was hospitalised in critical condition at the emergency care ward at Ichilov Hospital after sustaining a reportedly life-threatening wound to the neck.
Rotem Mansano, 34, had also been admitted to hospital in serious condition to an emergency neurosurgery ward.
Both Asher and Mansano were sedated and breathing through a respirator.
Michael Osdon, 36, suffered light to moderate wounds, and was brought to a hospital’s plastic surgery ward and is now awaiting cosmetic procedures.
Osdon told reporters for Channel 13 news: “The terrorist fired, but I was able to move my head and evade the bullet, which hit my cheek. The terrorist fired another bullet at one friend, then the other. He tried to shoot me again, and then I ran to an ice cream store nearby to call rescue services,
“I was wounded relatively lightly. I am waiting for some cosmetic procedures. Please pray for my friends,”
The shooter, identified as Mutaz Salah al-Khawaja, 23, fled the scene while shooting at others in the vicinity before being killed in a shootout with police officers and a reserve military officer a short while later.
Al-Khawaja, reportedly a member of Hamas and who had previously been jailed twice in Israel, was from the West Bank town of Ni’lin and had no entry permit to be in the country.
Two Arab Israelis who drove the attacker to the scene turned themselves into police on Friday.
Jews pray at the scene of Thursday’s terror attack on Dizengoff street, in central Tel Aviv, March 10, 2023 (Credit: Avshalom Saassoni/Flash90)
On Friday morning, religious Jews arrived at the scene of the attack to pray and conduct shacharit, or morning prayer, for the two victims still in life-threatening conditions.
Jews pray at the scene of Thursday’s terror attack on Dizengoff street, in central Tel Aviv, March 10, 2023 (Credit: Avshalom Saassoni/Flash90)
The terror attack is the latest incident as tensions continue to rise between Israel and the Palestinians, with the IDF conducting regular near-nightly raids in the West Bank.
