Yehuda Guetta, h’yd, 19, a student of the Yeshivas Hesder Itamar critically injured in a terrorist shooting attack in the Shomron on Sunday, succumbed to his wounds on Wednesday evening at Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah.
Guetta, z’l, who was shot in his head by the terrorist, is survived by his parents and six siblings, residents of the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood of Jerusalem. He was murdered while on the way to learn Torah in yeshivah.
Another victim of the terrorist attack, Benaya Peretz, 19, of Beit She’an, is still in very serious condition and underwent complex surgery on Wednesday night. His father, Zohar Peretz, has asked the public to daven for him and say Tehillim, especially Perek Chaf, and Shir Hashirim. His name for tefillah is Benaya Yisrael ben Aviva l’refuah sheleimah b’toch shaar cholei Yisrael.
Guetta’s levaya took place on Thursday morning and he was buried at Har Hamenuchos. Yehi Zichro Baruch.
ח''כים, שרים וגם פולארד – אלפים מלווים את יהודה הי''ד בדרכו האחרונהhttps://t.co/pIaldfeX4t pic.twitter.com/RK9FoHWwxt
— עכשיו 14 (@Now14Israel) May 6, 2021
Jonathan Pollard spoke at the levaya.
ג'ונתן פולארד בלוויה של יהודה גואטה: "לא האמנתי שאחזור אחרי כל כך הרבה שנים ואצטרך להתמודד עם אסון כזה. זה לא יכול להימשך כך"@ynetalerts pic.twitter.com/3Cm37lQ6Bf
— גלעד כהן | Gilad Cohen (@GiladCohenJR) May 6, 2021
The terrorist who carried out the shooting attack at the Tapuach Junction, during which Guetta, z’l, was murdered and two of his fellow students were injured, was captured late Wednesday night.
After receiving intelligence information from the IDF, IDF soldiers and police officers raided the building where the terrorist, Muntassar Shalabi, 44, was hiding in the village of Silwad. On Tuesday, a number of Shalabi’s relatives and his wife’s relatives were arrested in his hometown of Aqraba on suspicion of aiding in the attack.
צהל, שב"כ וימ"ם ממשיכים במעצרים בעקרבה. כולם חשודים במעורבות בפיגוע, גם החשוד בתמונה – אבל המחבל היורה עצמו עדיין לא נתפס pic.twitter.com/jnJN04regf
— שחר גליק Shahar Glick (@glick_sh) May 4, 2021
כוחות צה״ל, שב״כ ומשטרת ישראל עצרו מספר חשודים כחלק מהמרדף אחר המחבלים החשודים שביצעו את פיגוע הירי שלשום בצומת תפוח pic.twitter.com/nQJvSkqooe
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 4, 2021
Shalabi, who identifies with Hamas, holds US citizenship and was reportedly a successful businessman who became radicalized while living in the United States for many years. He returned to the PA a year ago and was reportedly in dire financial straits due to losing money through gambling. He is a father of seven and some of his children still live in the US.
המחבל בן 44 בעל פרופיל חריג למפגע: איש עסקים מבוסס מאיזור רמאללה, אב לשבעה, ללא שיוך ארגוני וחי מספר שנים בארה"ב, ושם דווקא עבר הקצנה.
מזוהה עם חמאס אך פעל לבד. חלק מילדיו עדיין גרים בארה"ב.
נפצע מירי לוחמי גבעתי במהלך מנוסתו. הימ"מ עצר אותו על בסיס מודיעין של שב"כ https://t.co/BWlVCXkWz8 pic.twitter.com/ifyOQ7uare— יואב זיתון (@yoavzitun) May 5, 2021
On Monday, Israeli security forces seized the car that Shalabi used to carry out the drive-by shooting – which he abandoned in Aqraba – amid clashes with local Arabs, who set the car on fire.
فيديو| شبان يحرقون مركبة يشتبه بأنها استُخدمت بتنفيذ عملية حاجز زعترة بعد العثور عليها في بلدة عقربا جنوب شرق نابلس.#فلسطين pic.twitter.com/TrwSkK8Yr0
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) May 3, 2021
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)