New-born son passes away
WHEN Ilana and Leo Dubb made aliyah from Sydney four years ago, they would never have imagined seeing their granddaughter and prematurely delivered great-grandson fighting for their lives after a terrorist attack. But that was their reality this week after seven-months pregnant Shira Ish-Ran, the couple's granddaughter, was shot by a Palestinian terrorist while waiting for a bus in Ofra, in the West Bank.
THE new-born baby who was delivered after a Palestinian terror attack last week passed away this morning.
When Ilana and Leo Dubb made aliyah from Sydney four years ago, they would never have imagined seeing their granddaughter fighting for her life after a terrorist attack and prematurely delivered great-grandson passing away.
But that was their reality this week after seven-months pregnant Shira Ish-Ran, the couple’s granddaughter, was shot by a Palestinian terrorist while waiting for a bus in Ofra, in the West Bank.
“When the car stopped and they could see that she was obviously pregnant, they aimed and they hit her,” Shira’s father Chaim Silverstein told The AJN.
He explained how Shira’s husband Amichai was shot in the leg three times, but fortunately as none of the bullets hit his nerves, he was able to jump on his wife to shield her with his own body.
“Shira bled profusely for a long time and lost immense amounts of blood,” Silverstein said.
“When she arrived in hospital she was operated on and they gave her 42 portions of blood.”
Silverstein spoke to The AJN moments after leaving Shira’s bedside on Wednesday morning (Australian time).
“The situation has improved significantly,” he said.
“She is still connected to some machines in the intensive care unit but just a few minutes ago they removed some of the major machines and took the pipes out of her mouth and she was able to talk. It’s an absolute miracle.”
Doctors were forced to deliver Shira’s son in an emergency caesarean.
When the AJN spoke to Silverstein on Wednesday the child was still in a critical condition, however early Thursday morning (Australian time) he passed away.
The attack happened mere days after the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) failed to condemn the terrorist organisation Hamas for its attacks on Israelis.
While Hamas has not claimed responsibility for the terror attack, in its aftermath spokesperson Abdelatif al-Qanou posted on Facebook, “The heroic Ofra operation is an affirmation of our people’s choice and legitimacy in resisting the Zionist occupation and its settlers.”
In an apparent reference to the failed US-sponsored UNGA resolution, he added, “It proves that any attempt to condemn the Palestinian resistance will fail in the face of the desire and valiance of our Palestinian people.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Peter Wertheim said the terrorists “have disgraced themselves” by targeting unarmed Israeli civilians.
“This incident comes hard on the heels of the recent motion in the UN General Assembly condemning Hamas which narrowly failed to pass,” he said.
“Those nations which voted against the motion or abstained should now hang their heads in shame at having indirectly given encouragement to precisely this sort of criminal behaviour.”
With 87 votes in favour, 57 against and 33 abstentions, the UNGA resolution, which condemned Hamas for repeatedly firing rockets into Israel and for inciting violence, would have ordinarily been carried.
But an earlier procedural motion requiring it to have a two-thirds “yes” majority meant it fell short.
Australia voted against the need for a two-thirds majority and in favour of condemning Hamas.
In a joint statement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne condemned Hamas “in the strongest possible terms”.
“Australia supported this resolution to condemn the egregious and ongoing violent acts of the terrorist organisation Hamas and to restore some balance in the United Nation’s consideration of Israeli-Palestinian issues,” they said.
“While a simple majority of countries voted in favour of the resolution, the failure of the international community to condemn Hamas, a terrorist organisation, with the requisite majority in the UNGA is appalling.”
Wertheim thanked the government for having “the spine and the common sense to stand unequivocally against terrorism” by supporting the motion.
GARETH NARUNSKY
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