Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Independence Day terror attack victim’s condition deteriorates

Shimon Maatuf was attacked by ax-wielding Palestinians in Elad during the holiday, suffering severe head wounds.

Israeli forces demolishing the home in Rumana, near Jenin, of one of the terrorists responsible for a deadly attack in Elad in May, on Aug. 7, 2022. Photo: Israel Defense Forces.
Israeli forces demolishing the home in Rumana, near Jenin, of one of the terrorists responsible for a deadly attack in Elad in May, on Aug. 7, 2022. Photo: Israel Defense Forces.

The condition of a 75-year old Israeli man who was seriously wounded in a terrorist attack in Elad on May 4, Israel’s Independence Day, has taken a turn for the worse, Israeli media reported on Thursday.

Shimon Maatuf, of Moshav Barkat, was employed as an armed security guard at the amusement park in Elad set up for the Independence Day celebrations. He was attacked by two Palestinians armed with axes, and suffered severe head wounds.

Following initial treatment he was moved to a rehabilitation facility, where he had remained until Tuesday night, when his condition worsened and became life-threatening, at which point he was evacuated to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.

Maatuf is married, the father of six children and a grandfather of 13.

The May attack claimed the lives of Yonatan Havakuk, Boaz Gol and Oren Ben-Yiftach, and left four people seriously wounded, including Maatuf.

In June, Jenin residents Assad Yussef Assad al-Rafa’i and Sabhi Imad Sabhi Abu Shakir were indicted on three counts of aggravated murder and committing acts of terrorism for their roles in the deadly attack.

“Our goal was to create a treatment that works with the brain, not against it,” said professor Tawfeeq Shekh-Ahmed of the School of Pharmacy at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Israel’s consul in Washington and the Department for Israelis Abroad at the Foreign Ministry are assisting the victims’ families.
Abelardo de la Espriella pledged to open an embassy in Jerusalem and renew a strategic alliance with the Jewish state.
“Episodes 7 and 8 include content, sights and sounds that may be difficult to watch,” the producers of the award-winning show stated.
The negotiation was held “in a positive and constructive atmosphere,” said Shehbaz Sharif.
“Israel is fighting the world’s fight, and it is a battle of good vs. evil,” Tzipi Hotovely said
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon, JNS Editor-In-Chief Jonathan S. Tobin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s adviseer Caroline Glick and leading voices in diplomacy, technology, national security, law, media and faith headline the summit’s second day in Jerusalem.