Three Israelis killed in a Palestinian terrorist attack in Tel Aviv were on their way to a friend’s wedding, one of the victims revealed on Friday.
Ya Asher, 32, and Rotem Mansano, 34, were seriously and critically injured, respectively, and Michael Osdon, 36, suffered minor injuries when a 23-year-old Palestinian militant opened fire on them on Thursday night as they walked past a Strolling outside the cafe. At the corner of Dizengoff Street and Ben Gurion Street in the city center. The assailant, Mutaz Salah al-Khawaja, fled the scene before being killed in a shootout with police officers.
While Asher and Mansano remained connected to ventilators Friday evening, Osdon was able to speak to the media, detailing the moments of the attack in an interview with Channel 13.
“The terrorist fired, and I managed to move my head, so the bullet only hit my cheek,” he said. “He shot one of my friends and then another. Then he tried to shoot me again, but I ran to a nearby ice cream parlor to call the police.”
Osdon said he was minorly injured compared to his two other good friends and would only require cosmetic surgery. “Please pray for my friends,” he asked.
Asher’s girlfriend, who posted on her Instagram story, also asked people to pray for the victims’ speedy recovery. “I have never begged as much as I am begging now. Please pray for the love of my life. pray when you light up [Sabbath] Candles on Friday. The prayers of the entire country will save him. I believe in this with all my heart.
Hundreds of people gather at the site of a terrorist shooting in Tel Aviv on March 10, 2023. (Yaakov Schwartz/The Times of Israel)
Hours later, hundreds of Israelis gathered at the shooting site to hold a vigil. Some attended a religious prayer council and there everyone joined in afterwards in songs of Jewish resilience.
Neta Sara, who lives in an apartment just above the attack, told the Ynet news site that she watched the gathering on Friday evening and was moved by the number of Israelis who came to show their support for the victims.
“It’s heartwarming to see our people come together like this,” he said.
Meanwhile, friends of Mansano, the wedding DJ who was seriously injured on Friday, began trying to reach out to couples at whose weddings he was supposed to perform.
Mansano’s friends also recruited 70 DJs from across the country who agreed to perform in place of the victim. The money earned will go towards the recovery of Mansano, Channel 12 reported that about 50 weddings have been accounted for.
“He is a man with a heart of gold beyond belief. Everybody loves him,” Mansano’s friend Dorr Avidan told Channel 12. He is a DJ of the highest caliber. We hope to see him perform again in the summer.
Scene of a terror attack on Dizengoff Street in central Tel Aviv on March 9, 2023. (Eric Marmor / Flash 90)
All three victims were being treated at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital, where its director Roni Gamzu said on Friday evening that there had been a slight improvement in their condition.
Gamzoo said Asher’s condition remains critical and his injuries remain life-threatening. “I want to be optimistic, but the road to recovery will be very long,” he said, noting that the bullet had lodged in his neck.
Mansano’s injuries were equally complex and he remained in the ICU. The bullet had entered his spine very close to his central nervous system. Gamjoo said the doctors eased her out of anesthesia and she began to communicate again. “We are hopeful that we can further improve his condition and get him off the ventilator.”
Two Arab Israelis, residents of Ramle and Kusifeh, presented themselves to police on Friday to lead the attacker to the scene of the crime. Police said his arrest was extended later in the day.
