At least seven people were killed when two gunmen opened fire and stabbed victims at a light rail station in Israel’s Jaffa on Tuesday. One of the victims of the attack was a 33-year-old new mother who lost her life while protecting her 9-month-old baby boy Ari. Israeli officials reported that the brave woman shielded her child from harm, giving her life to protect her infant. ”One of the victims from yesterday’s terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, Inbar Segev-Vigder, was murdered while shielding her 9-month-old son Ari. She saved his life. There are no words. Only heartbreak. May the memory of the victims be a blessing,” the State of Israel wrote on X while sharing a picture of the mother-son.
See the tweet here:
One of the victims from yesterday’s terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, Inbar Segev-Vigder, murdered while shielding her 9 month old son Ari.
She saved his life.
There are no words. Only heartbreak 💔 .
May the memory of the victims be a blessing. pic.twitter.com/3nI2jLzem7
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) October 2, 2024
Notably, Segev-Vigder was a 33-year-old fitness and Pilates studio owner from Tel Aviv. Her husband, Yaari Vigder, serves as an Israeli reservist soldier. The couple got married in 2023 and had their first baby in December, last year.
Witnesses reported that Segev-Vigder was gunned down while exiting a train in Jaffa. Just hours before the shooting, she posted a prayer on Instagram for the safety of Israeli soldiers entering Lebanon.
“Ari was in a carrier that covered Inbar’s entire upper body during the attack, he was not injured at all. For the rest of his life — may he feel the same love he received from Inbar,” Jerusalem Post cited Yaari Vigder as telling Israel’s Channel 11 news.
There were also other victims identified as Revital Bronstein, 24, Shahar Goldman, 30, Nadia Sokolenko, 40, and Ilya Nozadze, 42. Ms Sokolenko, originally from Moldova, was an office manager and a mother to a 6-year-old daughter. Her family awaited her return from grocery shopping but grew concerned when her phone went unanswered, prompting friends to search area hospitals.
The Israeli police said the attackers were residents of the Palestinian city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The tragedy unfolded mere minutes before Iran launched a massive barrage of ballistic missiles into Israeli territory. The Iranian retaliation was reportedly in response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several other high-ranking officials of the terror group earlier that week.
Police said the two men who carried out the attack were subsequently shot dead by a civilian armed with a gun and a security guard. The identities of the men have not been confirmed.
