The seriously injured victim; Photo credit: Free use
Saturday, August 5, 2023, 22:57 On Friday night, before Shabbat (yesterday), dozens of Arab rioters attacked a Jewish shepherd. They also attacked several local Jewish residents who came to his aid. The incident began when a Jewish shepherd left Oz Zion to graze his flock in the area between Oz Zion and the nearby Arab town of Burqa. Several Arabs from Burqa approached and threatened him. The shepherd, who felt that he was in danger, summoned other Oz Zion residents who came to stay with him to prevent the situation from deteriorating.
Dozens of Arabs armed with clubs, fireworks, and large rocks surrounded the Oz Tzion residents. The Arabs launched fireworks directly at the residents, and hurled rocks at them from point-blank range, endangering their lives. They called the army and civilian security personnel for help. One resident was hit in the head with a rock and seriously injured. With his last strength, he opened fire with his legally owned personal weapon to defend his life.
The seriously injured victim; Photo credit: Free use
He was transported from the site by his friends, who met up with an ambulance that transported him in serious condition to Sha’arei Tzedek Hospital. On Shabbat, he underwent neurosurgery, and he is recovering in the Intensive Care Unit. He is suffering from cerebral hemorrhage and skull fractures. During his entire stay at the hospital, Yehuda and Shomron Police officers have been at his bedside.
The other Oz Zion residents attacked were slightly injured. On Friday night (Shabbat) the police detained a resident who was at the incident and helped transport the injured resident to the hospital. According to media reports, one of the Arab rioters was hit and killed by the shots fired by the Oz Zion resident in self-defense.
Honenu Attorney Nati Rom was summoned on Shabbat to represent the hospitalized resident who was detained. After Shabbat, Attorney Rom stated, “By a miracle and my client’s quick-wittedness, he and his friends are alive today. In the hospital, I met a young, seriously injured man who suffered a terror attack on him and his friends by hundreds of rioting Arabs. I call on the GSS and the police to apprehend the rioters this evening and put them behind bars for the attempted murder of a group of Jews. My client acted according to the law, as every licensed weapon owner must, to defend his life and that of others.”
This evening, after Shabbat, Honenu director Shmuel (Zangi) Meidad gave a statement about the attack near Oz Tzion: “I am embarrassed and ashamed that I have to send an attorney to court to represent a hero who saved himself and others in the face of life-threatening danger. Instead of being awarded a medal, he is in a hospital intensive care ward recovering from an operation, guarded by police officers around his bed. His status is that of a detainee.”
Knesset Member Limor Son Har-Melech tweeted (translation by Honenu): “When a security officer on patrol in Tel Aviv kills a terrorist, he receives commendations from all the security authorities. But when a Jew in Binyamin defends his life from an Arab mob trying to kill him, he’s detained while he’s still injured. I suggest that the security system divert their resources to dealing with terror dens instead of persecuting Binyamin residents who are devoting themselves to defending our country!”