Family Trip Cut Short by Terrorists; Father Dead on Scene
Judea and Samaria, Route 60 (TPS) – An Israeli man was killed in a terrorist drive-by shooting on Friday, while driving with his family from their home in the Jewish community of Otniel in the Har Hevron Regional Council. The deceased was identified by the Har Hevron Regional Council Spokesperson as 48-year-old Rabbi Michael (Miki) Mark.
Mark was driving with his wife, Chava Rachel, who is in critical condition, and his daughter Tehila (14) and son Pdaia (15), who were also injured in the shooting. Miki and Chava Rachel’s eight other children were at home during the incident and were notified of their father”s death by the authorities.
“Shortly after 3 p.m., a shooting occurred on Route 60, near the Palestinian village of Fawwar. As a result of the shooting one of the four family members in the car was killed. The other three sustained injuries are were evacuated to a hospital. IDF forces are scouring the area and setting up roadblocks in order to locate the shooters,” stated the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
According to the Har Hevron Regional Council spokesperson, the family was driving on Route 60 from their home in Otniel in the direction of Beit Haggai, when a Palestinian vehicle overtook them and its passenger opened fire at the Israeli car.
Magen David Adom Paramedics pronounced the 48-year-old father dead on the scene, and began the evacuation of the rest of the family to the Hadassah Ein Karem Medical center in Jerusalem.
“A woman in her 30’s sustained serious head trauma and is in a critical condition, she is currently on life-support. A 14-year-old girl sustained moderate to serious abominable injury and a 15-year-old boy sustained light injury only. All three victims arrived safely to the Hadassah Ein Karem Trauma Ward and are currently being treated,” stated Hadar Elboim, the Hadassah Medical Center Spokesperson.
Following the evacuation of the victims, the Judea and Samaria District Police has announced the closing of the Route 60 segment where the shooting attack occurred in order to allow for a forensic investigation of the scene. IDF soldiers began scouring the region on foot and in vehicles in an attempt to locate the fleeing terrorists.
According to a Har Hevron Region Security official, the first report to the emergency authorities was made by a Palestinian who witnessed the event. “The man’s wife preformed CPR on the wounded teenage girl, and Palestinian Red Crescent paramedics also provided help until Israeli emergency services arrived on the scene,” said the Security official.
In an angry response to the deadly attack, dozens of Jewish residents of the nearby communities of the har Hevron region came out to Route 60 in order to prevent Palestinian’s access to the road.
Michael Bachner contributed to this article.