Funerals held on Tuesday for Elisha Antman and Harel Masoud; funeral for Ofer Fairman to be held Wednesday
Elisha Antman, Ofer Fairman, Nachman Mordoff, and Harel Masoud were identified as the victims of a shooting attack that took place on Tuesday near the settlement of Eli in the central West Bank.
Antman was an 18-year-old student in the 12th grade and a resident of the settlement, while Fairman, age 63, also resided in Eli. Mordoff, 17 years old, lived in the Ahiya West Bank outpost, and Masoud, 21 years old, was a resident of Yad Binyamin in central Israel.
Four additional individuals sustained injuries in the attack, with one in serious condition and the others in moderate and light conditions.
Rabbi Hezekiah Darmon, the high school principal and educator of Antman, described him as “charismatic and energetic,” emphasizing his “commitment to honesty and his willingness to assist others.” The rabbi further praised Antman’s “fearlessness in the face of challenges,” noting his “remarkable dedication to personal goals.”
Funerals for Antman and Masoud were held earlier tonight, while Fairman’s funeral is scheduled for tomorrow at 12:00 PM. Funeral arrangements for Mordoff have not yet been made public.
Dozens of people gathered at the Nahal Sorek regional council cemetery to bid farewell to Harel Masoud. His mother, Yael, paid tribute to him, stating, “You conquered every place you went to, how beautiful you were, I was proud of you. You have only just been released from the army, from the most rigid framework, and you have only just blossomed. Now that you have finally started to live, fulfill your dream and settle the land you loved – now she takes you to the depths of her land.” She recalled that on last Saturday, they met with Harel together with the whole family. “Now we understand that you came to say goodbye without intending to… I couldn’t believe this would be our last meeting, so powerful and suddenly – cut short. My dear son, the land of Israel is acquired only through suffering, and you are already so missed.”
Talya, his younger sister, also mourned him and added, “How do we talk about you in the past tense when you were here in front of me and now you’re not. How can we summarize you in words? How did this happen? What did you feel in that moment? Why you of all people? So many questions, and no one can answer. No one.”
The Palestinian attackers were identified as Mohand Shahada, aged 25, and Khaled Sabah, aged 24. Arriving at the gas station in a vehicle with an Israeli license plate, they opened fire on the restaurant’s occupants. Shahada was fatally shot by civilians at the scene, while Sabah managed to flee in a vehicle he stole from the gas station. Approximately two and a half hours later, Sabah was found in the Palestinian village of Tubas and subsequently shot to death by forces from the Shin Bet and the Israeli national counterterrorism unit.