Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Attack in Jerusalem


Just got back from the terror attack in Jerusalem.

A tractor (driven by an Israeli Arab, resident of Tzur-Bacher, Jerusalem) went on a killing spree, smashing into cars and passer-byers. The rampage started on Sarei Yisrael street and making a left onto Yaffo st., where it also rammed 2 buses.

Updated Video: See the blue shirted 19 year old soldier, on leave from the army kill the terrorist with 3 shots. (starts at 2:35...)



About 30 wounded; 2 very seriously, 6 moderate, and about 30 less seriously.

Reports now of 5 3 dead, and about 50 wounded. The numbers keep wavering now...down to 3? Perhaps they discounted the terrorist as one of the dead.

See BBC video of the tractor smashing cars, and the the soldier taking out the terrorist.


The YouTube copy above is not bad.

Update: A 19 year old soldier, Moshe Plesser, jumped onto the tractor. Grabbing a pistol from a shell shocked YASAM policeman civilian security guard who was struggling to subdue the terrorist, Plesser shot the terrorist to death. Plesser is the nephew brother-in-law of David Shapira -- the soldier who killed the terrorist in the Merkaz Harav attack before Purim a few months ago.

Now that's a family!

(You can read Plesser's first-hand description of what happened here.)

The aftermath.

Its now a few hours later since the attack, and I wanted to compose my thoughts a bit.

At 11:55 the tractor started its journey of death, smashing into cars left and right. Around 1 minute later, I got a call from a neighbor who was listening to his Hatzala radio's Jerusalem frequency and he heard alot of intense chatter about "something going on."

He called me and told me get going...and I grabbed a co-worker (also a medic), and we ran to my car. Putting on the red strobe light, we flew out of our parking lot listening for directions where to go -- and then the picture became crystal clear.

Our Magen David Adom beepers went off simultaneously, announcing "ARAN, ARAN, ARAN" -- mass casulty attack in Jerusalem, near Yaffo street and Sarei Yisrael street. Flying low, we honked our way through traffic (most cars even go out of the way for us) as the Hatzala radio mentioned 2, maybe 3 different attack locations (many cars had been smashed, each with victims in it), plus buses...

I parked illegally on the sidewalk near the Israel Broadcasting Agency in Romema, putting my MDA sign on my car's dashboard, threw on my emergency vest, grabbed my gear and ran.

I waved to the security guard of the IBA, so he knew the car was "friendly" and he wouldn't try to tow it...ticket it...or have it blown up by police sappers.

Running down the street, towards the sires, the fire trucks, and the crowd, we passed smashed cars. Curious onlookers ran towards the scene, some were quietly on the sides of the street, others running away in panic -- and police and medical teams converged on Yaffo street.

Ducking under the crime scene tape, we ran towards the ambulances, and started helping treat the wounded and load them onto ambulances.

One woman cried and moaned, as we placed her into an ambulance, as someone (no idea if it was a relative, friend, or just someone helping out) held the injured woman's crying toddler. The ambulance sped off, and we looked for more people to help.

A policeman with a bomb sniffing dog scoured the area -- another policeman complete in bomb disposal body armor gingerly picked through bags of construction sand near one of the smashed cars, as he looked for a bomb.

35 minutes later, from the time we left, we returned back to the office.

Peeling off my gloves, my hands still shook a bit.

10 unanswered calls on my cellphone.

Time to get back to work.


Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

28 comments:

Commenter Abbi said...

OMG, that's insane. Just when you think you see it all...

Here's my favorite part of the NY times take on it: Police referred to the driver as a terrorist, but his motive and identity were not immediately established.

The apparent attack took place in the commercial heart of Jerusalem on Jaffa Road directly below offices housing several foreign television networks.


Yes, the guy is clearly an "alleged" terrorist and this was an "alleged" attack. We all just imagined it.

Jameel @ The Muqata said...

We can update the NYT: He wasn't a terrorist, he thought he was driving an ice cream truck.

yitz said...

Don't give the disgusting dreg of humanity's remains over to the other side until they give us Gilad Shalit back - alive! Nekuda!

Baila said...

Maybe the poor guy had a stroke. I just saw that happen on Grey's Anatomy.

(J, you were the first blog I turned to when I got to the computer after I heard about the pigua. I knew you'd have something....)


Maybe this will be the last one....?

Jameel @ The Muqata said...

Yitz: agree 100%

Baila: HaLevai. But I seriously cant see that happening...

Phillip Minden said...

Thanks, Jameel.

When I saw a national paper's website, they actually said "Dead and Injured After Attack in Jerusalem" and the sub-headline even mentioned "a Palestinian" some lines down, without "alleged" or the like.

Only the list of related articles beneath the headline started with "West Bank - Israel Digs Water Off the Palestinians" and "NE Conflict - Israel Bars Transports To Gaza Strip"

yitz said...

Kol HaKavod Jameel. Keep us updated!

ProfK said...

The NY Times be damned. Somewhere in Israel there are mothers with tears coursing down their faces, real tears, not alleged tears, as they face a parent's worst nightmare--"we regret to inform you that your child has been killed." Those weren't alleged people who died and who were injured and those were not alleged deaths either. Maybe we should bury the Times staff in a deep hole somewhere, and when they scream loudly we should tell them it's only an alleged hole and their pain is only alleged as well.

Jack Steiner said...

Scary stuff. Glad you were able to help.

Erachet said...

Yikes.

Phillip Minden said...

There was one good reason to kill him, namely to stop him.

Anonymous said...

Since I know DB does not leave comments often and I just read one that refers to him, I am going to stick my nose in, in his defense. The hero soldier who killed the terrorist saved lives by doing so. There is no way DB would have advocated doing anything different. Just because a person is a liberal does not make them irrational. It does not make them want to prevent one death while allowing for many more deaths.

Yasher Koach Jameel and Yasher Koach to Moshe Plesser. We are truly fortunate to have you as members of klal yisroel.

Anonymous said...

Dear Jameel, I allowed myself to quote your report extensively, for the benefit of my German readers who get highly sanitized versions of such events. I hope that's okay.

Anonymous said...

what does ARAN stand for?

Jameel @ The Muqata said...

ARAN = אר"ן

Ereuah Rav Rifgaim.

Mass Casulty Event

Lila: Sure, no problem.

TO: Thanks for your comment; I am sure DB would not condemn the killing of the terrorist.

NormanF said...

If you do not see G-d present in Moshe Plesser's connection to David Shapira nor in the parallels of their righteous conduct, then you do not see G-d at all. G-d was present both times. He must have a special love of this family to allow them to full the mitzvah of saving Jewish lives.

Phillip Minden said...

The default rabbinic counter-question: So why dod you think did God let these people die?

Unknown said...

Kol hakovod Jameel.So many mitzvot in just thirty five minutes.
However I hope you can accumulate mitzvot in better ways.
There are serious questions of the reaction or non-reaction of the police.Similarly in the Mercaz Harav tragedy.

Miriam said...

What's gonna be? Thank goodness this was stopped. Yay, Plesser!!!!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your acts of Chesed.

Lady-Light said...

Thank you from the depths of my being for doing hatzalah and trying to save lives in such eru'im.
I found out about this atrocity on a morning NPR report. There was no way I wouldn't blog about it, (at http://lady-light.blogspot.com)
but first I called my kids. They are ok. But somebody's kids died today...
פשוט צריכים לחסל אותם לפני שאין מדינה...

Sarah Likes Green said...

:(

yaak said...

They should use that same bulldozer to destroy the guy's house.

Then, use that same bulldozer to throw his body into his grave.

הי"ד

Anonymous said...

on condemning shooting a terrorist:

http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3563570,00.html


you knew it would happen...

Phillip Minden said...

"There was no need to kill him" - because he was a suicide terrorist? In other words, after not more than a dozen or two more murders, he'd have shot himself anyway?

Mindy Schaper said...

Thank you for the account and all for the opinions.

Much appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Prof K and others, we canceled our subscription to the Times a few years ago and never looked back. The Wall Street Journal is an excellent paper, superior in many ways to the Times, and the Internet is a great source of international news. Why give them the money and whine about the coverage?

Anonymous said...

ProfK said...
"The NY Times be damned. Somewhere in Israel there are mothers with tears coursing down their faces, real tears, not alleged tears, as they face a parent's worst nightmare--"we regret to inform you that your child has been killed." Those weren't alleged people who died and who were injured and those were not alleged deaths either. Maybe we should bury the Times staff in a deep hole somewhere, and when they scream loudly we should tell them it's only an alleged hole and their pain is only alleged as well."

Well said.

And thank you Jameel for giving some real-life perspective to this tragedy.

May the bereaved be comforted among all the mourners of Zion and Israel...

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