It was only a matter of seconds, but for Morel Moyiz Nikar, security guard for the West Bank settlement of Eli who killed a terrorist in an attack on the community, it felt like an eternity. Just three weeks ago, he faced one of the Palestinian terrorists who carried out a terror attack that took the lives of four Israelis. The two exchanged fire until Nikar neutralized the terrorist, but he was injured by two bullets fired at him, one in the leg and the other in his shoulder.
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Following his heroic acts, Nikar will participate in a ceremony on Monday held by the Israel Police in the presence of senior officers. During the ceremony, Nikar will receive an honorary award for his courage under fire and for saving lives.
"It is very emotional for me," Nikar said. "It is a great honor for me to receive such recognition. Since the terror attack, everyone I meet tells me that I simply saved lives. They don't focus on the matter of eliminating the terrorist; they mainly emphasize the saving of lives. All this support from the people of Israel greatly touches us."
Nikar was at the entrance gate to Eli when he heard gunfire very close by. "I went outside and saw that the traffic at the gas station was at a standstill, and immediately I understood it was a terrorist attack. I ran to my car, grabbed a weapon, and tried to get to the intersection as quickly as possible. As I turned toward the gas station, I saw the terrorist running toward me, and then I saw someone entering the gas station who didn't know there was an attack. The terrorist reached his window and shot at him point-blank. I saw that and immediately jumped, I was exposed near the door and I fired at him while he was shooting at me for about five seconds. It felt like much longer to me," he said of the incident.
"We stared into each other's eyes, me and the terrorist, and then I fired 10 shots at him. He fell, and then he tried to reach for his weapon again, and then I shot again, but he didn't give up. While I was injured in the leg and shoulder, instinctively I raised my leg, and then he fell again. I opened the door and raised my injured leg in the air, and then I called for backup, but there were many shouts. At that moment, I saw the second terrorist taking the car that was there. He had a smile on his face as he escaped from there and fled toward Nablus. After a few minutes, army medical forces arrived and treated me," he concluded.