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Entire families wiped out by blast
Hat tip Little Green Footballs.Bruria Zer-Aviv, 54, from Kibbutz Yagur, decided to end her Saturday excursion with her son, Bezalel, 30; his wife, Keren, 29; and their two children, Liran, 4; and one-year-old Noya with lunch at Haifaâs Maxim restaurant. Near their table sat journalist Mark Biano, 29, and his wife Naomi, 25. At another table were members of the Almog family. Moments later, these families, and others, were decimated. Nineteen Israelis were murdered and more than 50 people were injured in Saturdayâs suicide bombing attack at the crowded Haifa restaurant. Three children, a baby girl, four Israeli Arabs, a cook, the security guard and others were among the dead. Doctors at Haifaâs hospitals continued to fight through the night to save the lives of the seriously wounded, among them children. One of the injured was listed in critical condition. "Never has there been such a disaster on the kibbutz," people at Kibbutz Yagur, northeast of Haifa, said after learning that five of the victims were members of the Zer-Aviv family. Bruria, who had been living on Yagur since 1985, had accompanied her children on a shopping trip Saturday. When relatives on the kibbutz heard news of the bombing, they tried to contact the Zer-Avivs, but there was no answer on their mobile phone. They then drove to the Maxim restaurant in Haifa to look for them. "Their car was parked in the parking lot of the restaurant, but the ambulances had already evacuated the injured," said a member of the kibbutz. "The familyâs relatives started looking for them in the hospitals, and when they couldnât find them, they realized that the worst had happened." "We canât take it in - an entire family wiped out in a moment," their neighbor, Benny Shilo said. Col. (res.) Zeev Almog, former commander of the Israeli Navyâs officer training school in Akko, was having lunch with his family at the Maxim restaurant when the suicide bomber struck. Almog, 71; his wife, Ruth, 70; their son, Moshe, 43; and grandson, Tomer, 9: were killed. Almogâs daughter, Galit; Mosheâs wife, and two other grandchildren were injured in the blast. Mark Biano was the municipal reporter for a Haifa cable newsmagazine. Two years ago he married Naomi, a computer instructor. Both were killed in the suicide bombing. On Thursday, Biano broadcast his last news report. He is survived by two parents and a sister. Two of the victims were residents of Fassouta, a Christian village in the Upper Galilee. Hana Francis, 40, had worked as a waiter at the Maxim restaurant for about 10 years. Francis had only recently become engaged. Sharbal Matar, 23, was Hanaâs cousin and the nephew of the restaurantâs owners. He had been working at the restaurant for five years, Haaretz reported. Matanes Karachbi, 31, a resident of an Arab neighborhood of Haifa, had worked at the restaurant for the last eight months as its security guard. "I know my brother served as a human shield," Karachbiâs brother said. "He saved the lives of many others. It doesnât matter if one is Jewish, Christian or Muslim; we are all brothers." Karachbi, who married two years ago, is survived by parents and four brothers. Also killed in the suicide bombing were Nir Regev, 25, from Nahariya; Osama Najar, 27, from Haifa; Zvi Bahat, 35, from Haifa; Irena Sofrin, 37, from Kiryat Bialik; and a ten-year-old boy whose name has not yet been released for publication. I have absolutely no sympathy for the "Palistinians." They have yet to show one good reason they deserve an internationally recognized state. Posted by: Atrus 2003-10-06 |
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