Matan Elmaliach, 26, from the West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim was identified as the victim of the terrorist shooting attack on Highway 1 Thursday morning. He is survived by his parents, a brother and two sisters.
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Elmaliach's father Yitzhak eulogized his son as "a Torah-observant boy, beloved and principled. A boy of love for the land, giving and affection. A flower."
Meanwhile, security forces raided the town of Za'atara near Bethlehem, from which the three terrorists emerged. Two were killed at the scene of the attack, and one was injured and taken to Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem for treatment. Israeli forces reportedly questioned the suspects' relatives and arrested several family members.
The Shin Bet security agency identified the terrorists as brothers Kathem Zawahra, 31, and Muhammad Zawahra, 26, both residents of the village of Ta’amra and Ahmed Al-Wahsh, 31, from the Palestinian town of Za'atara near Bethlehem. Kathem Zawahra had been previously jailed for entering Israel illegally, the Shin Bet said.
Security forces arrest relatives of terrorists Kathem and Muhammad Zawahra in Ta’amra, West Bank
Six other people were wounded in the attack, among them 30-year-old Adi Zohar, a pregnant woman in serious condition, and 23-year-old Hanania Ben-Shimon, an IDF reservist who was discharged last week after four months in Gaza, who charged at the terrorists and was moderately wounded.
The Trauma Unit at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem said that Zohar had undergone surgery after being shot in the chest. Her baby was reportedly in stable condition.
Zohar's father Eli Biton told Ynet that his daughter first thought the attack was a car accident after the car in front of her crashed into her, apparently in an attempt to create a log jam.
"The driver's door opened. He came straight toward her, and she saw he had a weapon in hand," Biton said.
"He fired a single shot at her and continued down the road. She saw him moving away and got out to alert other cars. It was a huge miracle. She was shot right in the chest, and she was the first to be shot."
Zohar's mother Ruthie added, "The writing was on the wall. We had a feeling that a disaster would happen."
The terrorists charged at a traffic jam en route to a military checkpoint, opening fire with automatic weapons at cars on the congested road. Locals have long warned of a "death trap" on the crowded roads of the West Bank, cautioning that terrorists could use them to launch attacks on drivers who have nowhere to escape.
An eyewitness reported that motorists found themselves trapped between the cars, and videos from the scene showed people fleeing on foot, while security forces also rushed toward the terrorists on foot.
Israel Adler, Zohar's manager, expressed his shock. "She had a big miracle. It might not have happened if there had been no traffic jams. She was behind the terrorists who staged an accident. The terrorist got out of the car and shot her. Injured, she tried to take cover under the steering wheel. The terrorist then moved on, and she managed to get into another person's car to seek help," he said. "The congestion delayed the ambulances' arrival. It's a miracle she survived."