The Beersheva District Court on Tuesday sentenced Jihad Abu Dahar to 23 years imprisonment for his role in assisting the murderer of the Hatuel family on the Kissufim Road in 2004. Dahar was also involved in other terror attacks.

According to the evidence against Dahar, he was a lookout at the shooting location, reporting on the location of IDF forces. In other attacks he also assisted in placing bombs and firing rockets into Israel.

Tali Hatuel (34), and her daughters Hila (11), Hadar (9), Roni (7), and Merav (2) HY”D of Katif were murdered when two terrorists fired on their vehicle at the entrance to Gaza.

They were on their way to campaign against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan.

Their white Citroen station wagon spun off the road after the initial shooting, and then the attackers approached the vehicle and shot the occupants dead at close range. The Hatuel’s car was riddled with bullets, and the carpet inside was stained with blood. The girls were killed hugging one another. On the car was a bumper sticker saying, “Uprooting the settlements, victory for terror.”

Another Israeli civilian, a resident of Ohad in the Eshkol region, traveling in a separate car, suffered moderate gunfire wounds and two soldiers were wounded before the terrorists were killed. Fatah and Islamic Jihad claimed joint responsibility for the attack.

Tali, nee Malka, originally from Ashkelon, settled with her husband David in Katif 12 years earlier. As a social worker for the Gaza Coast Regional Council, it was she who would comfort families of terror victims on the death of their loved ones. Tali was eight months pregnant, and was looking forward to the birth of her first son. The three older girls studied at a school in Atzmona where there father, David Hatuel worked as principal.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)