2 Dead, 11 Wounded After Terrorist Opens Fire at Be’er Sheva Bus Station

An Israel Defense Forces soldier and an Eritrian asylum-seeker were killed, and 11 people wounded, when a terrorist stabbed a soldier, grabbed his rifle and opened fire late Sunday in the central bus station in the southern city of Be’er Sheva. The asylum-seeker was mistakenly shot and killed by security forces responding to the attack.

From Chabad.org by By Yaakov Ort:

According to eyewitnesses, the terrorist arrived at the station armed with a gun, a knife and ammunition, and started attacking people. He tried to stab a woman, who sprayed him with pepper spray, after which he shot and killed Cpl. Omri Levi, 19, of Sdei Hemed, then stole his M-16 rifle and started shooting randomly.

Five people were seriously wounded, four were moderately wounded, and two were lightly injured. The terrorist, who was shot and killed by security forces while attempting to escape, has not been named yet by authorities.

“We arrived to the scene en masse and spread throughout the station to look for victims,” said Gadi Abuchatzira, deputy head of the Magen David Adom Negev Region. “We did a triage and began giving life-saving treatment. Two of them had wounds to their upper bodies; they were unconscious.”

The victims were taken to Soroka Medical Center for treatment.

As crowds of residents gathered outside the bus station, Be’er Sheva mayor Ruvik Danilovich called on the city’s residents “not to take law into their own hands and let security forces do their job,” and urged them “to remain vigilant.”

Today’s attack brought the total of Israelis killed since the beginning of October to eight, with scores wounded.

It followed a weekend that saw seven stabbings or stabbing attempts in Jerusalem, Hebron and elsewhere, as well as other violence by Arab mobs inJudea and Samaria. Early Sunday, IDF troops had to rescue a group of yeshivah students from Jerusalem who had gathered at Jospeh’s Tomb in the historic city of Shechem (Nablus) in response to Friday’s terrorist arson there.

Continued Calls for Mitzvahs, Torah Study and Prayer

In addition to prayers for the wounded, there were also calls by rabbinic leaders around the world for increases in Torah study, prayer and other mitzvahs, in addition to donning tefillin. For suggestions of what Jewish people around the world can do to help their brethren in Israel, read the article 7 Things You Can Do for Israel Today here.

The tefillin campaign comes in light of instructions given by the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, who had issued a similar call during other dangerous times in Israel. Before the outbreak of the June 1967 war, for example, the Rebbe prompted an active campaign for Jewish males over the age of 13 to perform the mitzvah of tefillin.

Wrapping tefillin is part of the Rebbe’s 10 mitzvah campaigns introduced between the years of 1967 and 1976, which formed the platform upon which the Rebbe’s far-reaching program to revitalize Jewish life and observance throughout the world was built.

The laying of tefillin instills fear in the enemy, explain the sages of the Talmud, quoting: “Then all the peoples of the earth will see that the name of the Lord is called upon you, and they will fear you.” (Deuteronomy 28:10).