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Oct. 19, 2004
Soldier killed in shooting attack in the West Bank
Margot Dudkevitch
Nahal Brigade Staff Sergeant Yair Turgeman, 22, of Kiryat Arba was shot and killed by Palestinian gunfire directed at tents on a base near Mevo Dotan in northern Samaria on Tuesday afternoon.
He was airlifted to Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer, but died shortly after arrival.
Turgeman will be laid to rest at 3:00 p. m. Wednesday in Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl military cemetery.
The Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades in Jenin claimed responsibility and said it was to avenge the death of local commander Zakariya Zubeidi’s deputy, Sheikh Mahmud Abu Khalifa, who was killed by security forces two months ago.
"The Turgeman family is greatly respected and loved, and has lived in the Harsina neighborhood for many years," Kiryat Arba Mayor Zvi Katzover told The Jerusalem Post. Yair Turgeman’s father, Ya’acov, is a lieutenant-colonel in the reserves, and his mother, Michal, is an assistant kindergarten teacher, he said.
Turgeman is also survived by siblings Pinhas, Keren, Avital, and Tehila.
"The family’s home is crowded with people, everyone in Kiryat Arba felt the world cave in when they heard the tragic news,‘ Katzover said. ’In times of disaster and tragedy, as in happiness, the community is united."
IDF sources said they were unable to clarify whether Turgeman was hit in the chest or back, as the entry and exit point of the bullet had yet to be verified. He was not on duty when shot, and thus was not required to wear a flak jacket.
Security forces searched the nearby village of Arabe for the gunmen.
"We can definitely confirm that shots were fired from the west, possibly from one one of the hills near Arabe,‘ an officer said. ’It is still unclear if the soldier was shot by a sniper or whether terrorists unable to get a clear view fired at the base."
Residents of nearby Sa-Nur said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was directly responsible because of his plans to disengage from the Gaza Strip and evacuate several settlements in the West Bank.
"The constant talk of plans to uproot communities only strengthens the terrorism," a statement issued by the residents said.
In July, Victor Kreiderman, 40, of Mevo Dotan, was shot dead by terrorists on his way to work with his wife. As they drove near Yabed, shots were fired from the roadside.
In Memoriam
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