The Salomon’s were celebrating the birth of a baby boy who was born less than 24 hours earlier when terror came knocking.
The Salomon family were celebrating the birth of a new boy at the Salamon patriarch house in the Halamish settlement in the Binyamin region when 19 year-old terrorist, Omar al-Abed – aptly called a “beast” by Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu – knocked on the unsuspecting house.
Neighbors describe how they thought he was one of the well wishers who came to celebrate as the entire neighborhood was invited to the Shalom Zachor celebration, a celebration where the family invites the entire community on a Friday night to welcome a new baby boy.
Instead of well wishes, the terrorist brought with him a knife that he had purchased earlier that day and killed the patriarch of the family, Yosef Salomon, 70 as well his children Chaya Salamin, 46, a local teacher and the new father of 5, Elad Salamon, 36. Their identities had been under a gag order by the IDF until Saturday night.
The terrorist also stabbed 68 year old Tova Salamon, wife of Yosef Salomon and grandmother of the new baby. She is listed in serious condition at Shaarei Tzedek hospital.
Elad Salamon put up a valiant effort to try and subdue the terrorist while his wife rushed the children into a locked room and locked the door, which the IDF says most likely saved them from being victims of the bloodbath.
ZAKA Chairman shows the deadly attack scene, where food prepared to celebrate the grandson’s birth remain untouched.
ZAKA Chairman Rabbi Yehuda Meshi-Zahav was at the scene on Saturday night with his team scrubbing up the scene and collecting all the spilled blood. Meshi-Zahav showed the scene of the bloodbath and showed the window that the terrorist was shot through.
“The amount of blood here is horrific,” Meshi-Zahav said. “To see this amount of blood, right near the Shabbat table with the wine and the Shabbat candles, and the preparations for the celebration… It’s horrific…It says in the Bible, ‘Through your blood, you shall live.’
Here, they celebrated the new life of a baby, and a terrorist came and took their lives away. They didn’t even have a chance to touch the foods they had prepared to celebrate the newborn.” Meshi added.
“It was a stroke of luck that the neighbor heard the screams… Otherwise, I don’t even want to think what could have happened, G-d forbid.” Meshi-Zahav said.
Sgt. A, from the IDF’s elite Oketz canine special forces unit, happened to be off duty that weekend and came running to hear what the commotion was about. When he realized it was a terrorist attack, he ran back to his house, grabbed him gun and shot the terrorist with a single bullet through the window, hitting him in the stomach, which ended the attack.
The terrorist is listed in moderate condition at the Rabin Medical Center in Petach Tikvah.
Terrorist Omar al-Abed, had written on Facebook page only moments before the attack: “There is no point of living without the Al-Aqsa Mosque, It’s a disgrace to sit with your hands folded, you’re the ones who have guns in the house, you’re the ones who take out the guns at the celebrations, are not you ashamed?
All I have is a small knife and it will respond to Al-Aqsa’s call. You sons of pigs and monkeys, (referring to Israelis) I am sure that if you open the gates of al-Aqsa they will come after you with an iron fist – I warn you.” al-Abed was reportedly connected to Hamas.
The funeral for all 3 victims is scheduled to take place on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. at the Modiin cemetery.
