Moshe Ami HY”D, 56, who sustained serious injuries in a motzei Shabbos rocket attack in Ashkelon, died on the operating table of Barzilai Hospital later in the night. Ami is survived by his wife Ella Kustin, four children and five grandchildren. They were married for two years.

The levaya will was held on Sunday at 2:00pm in the Ashkelon Cemetery.

Security officials report that the preliminary investigation reveals that Ami was traveling in his vehicle and was hit in the abdomen by shrapnel. He was first listed in moderate-to-serious condition, but his condition deteriorated rapidly.

Ami worked as a contractor and was a resident of Ashkelon. Ella told the media that Moshe was on the way to the Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah to visit his brother when the siren signaling incoming rockets was heard. “He phoned me while driving” she explained, “telling me to come outside to go shopping. I told him that I love him and want to be certain that he is okay. Then I heard the siren and two explosions. I called again and he responded but his voice was already weak. I love you were his last words”.

She explained that he maintained good relations with his former wife, and she was grateful for the limited time they shared as well.

The family has known its share of tragedy. Moshe’s brother, a paratrooper, fell in the line of duty in 1982 and their father died of a broken heart as a result.

Family members have harsh words for the government, explaining their live in a veteran community in the city, one that is 60 years old, yet they still have not safe rooms. They explain that even after the motzei Shabbos tragedy, they had to care for an invalid mother while sirens were sounding, questioning just what government officials have been doing to protect citizens in recent years.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)