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May 6, 2003
Father murdered, daughter, 6, hurt in West Bank attack
By MARGOT DUDKEVITCH
Gideon Lichtman, 28, of Shiloh, was killed, and his six-year-old daughter and a 25-year-old reservist were seriously wounded, when terrorists shot at their vehicle as they traveled near Shvut Rahel northeast of Ramallah on Monday night.
A passing motorist picked up the girl and the reservist and took them to the Gitit roadblock in the north Jordan Valley, alerting the authorities. The two were treated by Magen David Adom teams, who said the girl suffered a gunshot wound to the head and the soldier a gunshot wound to the jaw. A Magen David spokesman said the two were airlifted to Hadassah-University Hospital in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem.
Security forces who reached the scene of the attack found the vehicle riddled with 10 bullet holes in a field at the roadside and began searching for the car's driver. Approximately an hour later he was found by soldiers, his condition described as critical. According to initial reports he apparently attempted to set out for the nearby community when he collapsed and died.
The attack occurred shortly before 10 p.m. as the car headed north on the road that leads to Rimonim, Kohav Hashachar and Gitit.
Security forces were searching for the perpetrators. It is not clear whether the attack was a drive-by shooting or a roadside ambush.
Last November, Esther Galia, a mother of seven, was shot and killed in a terrorist shooting in the same area.
Meanwhile, Palestinians reported that a 14-year-old was killed and six others were wounded during clashes with soldiers in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus on Monday afternoon.
Security forces have been placed on high alert for Remembrance Day and Independence Day. Thousands of police, border police, soldiers, and Civil Guard volunteers will be deployed throughout the country, along the Green Line, at military cemeteries, memorial sites, and places of entertainment following numerous intelligence warnings of impending terrorist attacks.
According to security officials, while the warnings are general, terrorist organizations remain highly motivated to carry out attacks.
They did not rule out the possibility that terrorists from abroad may attempt to enter the country. Two British citizens were responsible for last week's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv in which three people were killed and more than 50 wounded.
In the Gaza Strip, three mortar shells were fired at Neveh Dekalim in Gush Katif Monday night. There were no casualties and no damage was reported. The attack occurred as residents participated in Remembrance Day memorial services.
Security forces arrested senior Aksa Martyrs' Brigades commander Suliman Abu Mutlak at the Gush Katif junction Monday afternoon. He was involved in the attack on the school bus in Kfar Darom in November 2000 in which two Israelis were killed and several children wounded, including three children from the same family who had to have limbs amputated.
In the West Bank:
* Special forces arrested Ahmed Habinb in Bethlehem. He was involved in planning a suicide bombing that was to take place in the near future.
* Security officials identified the two Islamic Jihad terrorists arrested by security forces in Bethlehem on Sunday as Firas Hassan and Izzadin Hamed. They were involved in shooting attacks on the
Jerusalem neighborhoods of Gilo and Har Homa and also planned a suicide bombing.
* Judea and Samaria Police arrested 21 Palestinians for criminal and security violations in raids early Monday. Among those arrested were four Jordanian citizens who had illegally entered the country and 15 Palestinians from Hebron who had false documents.
* Security forces demolished the home of Tarek Juadat Hafez Agriwa early Monday morning. He was one of the terrorists who attacked the Ozeri family home on Hilltop 26 near Kiryat Arba in January, murdering Netanel Ozeri and wounding three family members.
In Memoriam
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