The terror attack that took place on Tuesday in northern Tel Aviv, which ended with nine people injured and the death of the terrorist, is under further investigation by the Shin Bet security service. Three of hte injured have already been discharged from hospitals, while four are still hospitalized in critical condition, including a pregnant woman who lost her baby due to the injury.
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"I don't want to go into details about what I saw, but this huge guy was just slashing people there, it was unbelievable," Kobi Yekutiel, the armed civilian who neutralized the terrorist, told Ynet.
"As I left the bus station with my motorcycle, I heard a blast behind me, a serious explosion. I stopped and looked, and then I saw a pickup truck entering the station where I had just been. Subsequently, a driver with a big knife emerged and immediately stabbed the first person next to him," according to Yekutiel.
"In the first few seconds, I thought it was a fight between drivers, but then the terrorist left the first stabbed person and began to rampage against others, and I realized it was a terrorist attack," he continued. "I pulled out my gun, and he caught sight of me from the corner of his eye. He ran toward me, and then I shot a bullet or two at him, but he didn't fall. He ran a few more meters and then fell to the ground."
Yekutiel explained why he kept shooting at the terrorist as he was lying on the ground. "While he was falling, I saw him groaning in pain, but he still took the knife and tried to stab the older man who was close to him in the head. I immediately shot another bullet or two at him, and that's how he was taken down."
"Everyone in the police praised me for what I did, and the district commander came and hugged me. Minister (Itamar) Ben-Gvir also showed support. But it's okay, there will always be critics," he said.
Yekutiel also explained why he carries a weapon with him. "I am a Tel Aviv resident, and there have been two attacks here recently, and in both of them, I was very close to the area," he said. "People ask me, 'What, you walk around with a weapon? What would you do?' Well, of course, in life, no one knows what they would do at that moment, but I am always determined, and that's why I carry a weapon. And I said: It's not for me, it's to look out for others."
On Tuesday, Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced that, following the investigation of the attack, they will look into "a way to commend the civilian who took down the terrorist at the scene and thereby prevented a more severe attack." According to their statement: "The minister and the commissioner spoke with the civilian and praised his dedication that saved lives while risking his own life."
Following the attack on Tuesday, the nine people injured in the attack were distributed to several hospitals – Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Rabin Medical Center, and Meir Medical Center. Six of the nine are reportedly still hospitalized.
"It's indescribable, the moments of anxiety on the way to the hospital. We thought of the worst possible scenarios. When we arrived, we understood that he was in stable condition, but these hours are critical because anything can still happen," said Miri Kochav, the daughter-in-law of Boaz Kochav, 76, who was rushed to the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva in critical condition suffering from a chest injury.
"He is suffering from severe pain and is currently in the intensive care department, but he woke up this morning in a slightly improved condition. He still has internal bleeding that they are trying to stabilize," Kochav added. She said that her father-in-law had come to the site of the attack to meet a friend, "and the moment he got out of the car, the terrorist simply saw him and stabbed him."
"He was on the phone with his friend, and in the middle of the call the friend heard the sound of glass shattering, and the call got disconnected. The friend tried calling him back, but he didn't answer, so he called us and told us what happened. We tried calling Boaz, and when we turned on the news, we identified his car on TV, so we immediately headed toward the hospital," she said.
Nir Goldstein, the friend who was talking to Kochav during the attack, described what he heard through the phone. "I hear the noise, and my friend isn't responding to me. With the first gunshots, I realized it was an attack and not an accident. I informed his family, and we met at the hospital," he said.
Alongside Boaz Kochav, a 30-year-old man with a serious abdominal injury was operated on in the Rabin Medical Center. Asher Shmulevitz, a 66-year-old doctor who fought the terrorist and sustained minor injuries to his face, was also with them in the same hospital, but has already been discharged.
Dr. Alon Nevet, interim hospital director, told Ynet on Wednesday morning that "the condition of the two individuals who were defined as being in serious condition is better this morning."
At Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba, a woman with very minor injuries was treated. She mainly suffered from scratches and bruises and was discharged Tuesday without being hospitalized at all.
The Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center was treating five of the injured individuals, among them one suffering from anxiety who has been discharged. Deputy Director of Medical Systems Operations Dr. Esther Saiag, told Ynet on Wednesday morning that all four hospitalized patients "spent the night peacefully. All three who arrived in serious condition underwent a rapid assessment yesterday and were hurried to the operating rooms."
Saiag noted that the condition of a young woman who was in serious condition has significantly improved, and she is currently categorized as being in stable condition, under close monitoring in the intensive surgical care department. Two other women are still hospitalized in serious condition, one of which is "unstable, but I wouldn't define it as life-threatening."
Another young man who sustained moderate injuries in the attack, 26-year-old Snir Wittenberg, is hospitalized in the orthopedics department after undergoing fracture fixation surgery, and his condition is considered mild.
"Yesterday, in the attack in northern Tel Aviv, I was hit by a vehicle. I only heard screams, so I don't remember much around me. I have bruises all over my body, and they inserted a rod in my thigh close to the knee," Wittenberg recalled on Wednesday. He added that he is "asking for help from the public to find my lost phone at the scene, there are important things on it."
Simcha Kozhi, the mother of one of the seriously injured patients hospitalized at Sourasky Medical Center, said on Wednesday, "After I saw there was an attack, I tried calling my daughter, and she didn't answer." According to the mother, "she is sedated. We hope she will wake up, we need all the help we can get."
The terrorist who carried out the attack, Abd al-Wahab Halaila,20, arrived at the scene using a car he stole from his employer. He drove onto the sidewalk and bicycle path on Pinchas Rosen Street in Tel Aviv, going against traffic and running over pedestrians. He then proceeded to stab people before being shot and killed by Yekutiel. It is possible that he had a permit to work in Israel, and this is still under investigation. Meanwhile, IDF forces arrested several of his associates at the Haifa Bay Central Bus Station, and in footage published yesterday by the Palestinians, many soldiers were seen surrounding his house in the Palestinian town of Samu'a.