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Thousands attend funeral of Israeli sisters killed in Jordan Valley terror attack

“How will I explain to Lucy what happened to her two precious gifts when she wakes up from her coma?” asks father Rabbi Leo Dee.

Family members and mourners attend the funeral of terror victims Maia, 20, and Rina, 15, Dee on April 9, 2023. Photo by Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90.
Family members and mourners attend the funeral of terror victims Maia, 20, and Rina, 15, Dee on April 9, 2023. Photo by Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90.

Thousands of mourners attended the funeral on Sunday of sisters Maia Dee, 20, and Rina Dee, 15, who were killed in a Palestinian terror attack last week in the Jordan Valley.

The attack, which also critically wounded the sisters’ mother, Lucy, took place Friday on the Route 57 highway near the Hamra Junction. According to a military probe, terrorists opened fire on the Dees’ passing vehicle, causing it to crash into the road’s shoulder. The terrorists then approached the car and riddled it with nearly two dozen bullets.

“How will I explain to Lucy what happened to her two precious gifts when she wakes up from her coma?” asked Leo Dee while eulogizing his daughters. “The formula for faith is always to focus on what you do have and not what you do not have. I still have three wonderful children and a wonderful wife,” he said.

“Today, the Jewish people have proven that we are one. When a family in Efrat hurts, we all hurt. There is no clearer proof of our unity, Am Yisrael Chai [the people of Israel lives],” added Dee.

Maia (left) and Rina Dee were murdered by Palestinian terrorists in the Jordan Valley on April 7. Credit: Courtesy.

Several government officials paid their respects at the funeral, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

During the funeral, Israeli media reported that Palestinian Authority security forces located the car used by the terrorists who killed Maia and Rina, abandoned in Nablus.

Israeli security forces on Monday were continuing to search for the perpetrators.

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