The attack on Emanuel: Israeli society has known and knows many terrorist attacks. The attack on Emanuel, one of the worst attacks that happened in 2002, left the Shilon family devastated and shocked by the tragic death of the late Gal Shilon. Today (Friday) was supposed to be Gal’s birthday. Mitar Ahino, an officer in the Kafir Brigade tells the Sargoim about the serious attackand explains who Gal was for him and how the incident is directly related to his being an officer in the IDF.
The attack happened on Tuesday, the 7th of Av 5572 on July 16. Eilat Shilon, Gal’s wife, and their three children were returning from their grandparents’ house in Givatayim. They were traveling on the Dan bus on bus 189 from Bnei Brak to Emanuel, and with them was the grandmother Zilfa Kashi, Eilat’s mother Gal, was with them in Givatayim and returned to Emanuel two days before.
(Photo: Courtesy of the family)
At 15:00 in the afternoon, about two hundred meters before the settlement, the bus was attacked by a terrorist squad. The attack began with the explosion of a heavy side bomb, which neutralized the bus completely, after which they began shooting and throwing grenades into the bus that had stopped and into vehicles next to it. Nine people were killed in the attack, and around twenty were injured.
Eilat’s mother, Zilfa Kashi, and her granddaughter Sara Tefaret were killed when the terrorists shot the bus. Eilat’s mother was injured as well as her daughter Galia Esther and her son Or Haim. During the attack, Eilat decided to call Gal and told him about the attack. Gal and a friend from the settlement rushed the car to the bus. When they arrived, they approached one of the soldiers asking for help, but he disguised himself as a soldier, so they mistakenly identified him. The terrorist shot Wave to death.
What do you remember about this event?
“I was in second grade when the incident happened. I was very close to Gal. My parents are divorced, Gal was my mother’s brother, so he was very close to me. I come home from school and there is a lot of chaos at home. My grandparents, Gal’s parents were They were even abroad when the attack happened, they were in France.”
“There is a security guard at home, they are reporting an attack in Emmanuel. They are called to come to the hospital to identify Gal, they already understand that there is an incident. Around the same time, the Israeli ambassador in France informed the grandparents and it took some time until they were returned to Israel. Then there was a funeral, there were a lot of people, I wasn’t there, they chose not to bring the children because the scenes would be too difficult.”
“Something really bad happened”
What do you understand as a child?
“Something really bad happened, the parents are trying to keep us close, Gal is no longer there. My grandparents have to say that this is the second son they have lost. The first son died at the age of 18 from pneumonia that got complicated. This is a family that takes things differently, this is another son they lost. It’s becoming a sad house, truth be told. live it For example, the attack in Neve Ya’akov, the family is disabled because it brings them back. My mother is not an easy person to deal with, my grandparents, the scars, an attack that killed so many people. But you grow up, don’t hide at home. They talk a lot about his character and what he liked to do.”
What is your memory of Gal?
“I remember him, the Hanukkah holiday at Emanuel that they do at his place, a very, very warm, hugging and loving person. Beautiful, always smiling.”
“We are not in contact with his wife. After the attack, she severed contact with us because they are religious and we are secular. As of today, my grandparents have not seen their grandchildren for 20 years. There have been various attempts. I saw them once at the boy’s bar mitzvah, and I brought them a letter From the grandparents.”
“What Gal did is not separated from the home Gal grew up in. A patriotic and Zionist home”
“Or injured his shoulder and today he is a brother in a hospital. There are two daughters, the middle daughter got married not long ago. A sadness that sits on them (on my grandparents).”
“What Gal did is not separated from the home Gal grew up in. A patriotic and Zionist home. I don’t know if I should call it a stick, but it is unequivocally different that he was protecting his wife and children and that’s how he was killed.”
(Photo: Courtesy of the family)
“He was in the Air Force in the technical formation, then he did a civil pilot course and became a pilot, then he repented and got married.”
How much does this story affect you as a soldier:
“The reason I went to Karby, including the grandchildren, we all went for this reason. It was very difficult for our mothers. There are sayings of ‘we have already paid the price’. Personally, this is what made me continue to be a soldier. The first line I made was at Emanuel. It was a crazy closing of the circle. It has an impact, it also accompanies me on the way of command, there is no warrior who has passed under me and does not know and does not know and does not live the story of Gal, of the meaning of what we do.”
“They are very proud of what I do. It doesn’t change the level of concern they feel”
“The first time (in Emmanuel) was a shocking experience, I took the fighters there. Gal’s incident is directly related to the Kafir Brigade. In my opinion, there is no more horrible act than murdering more children, dressing up as soldiers is the lowest there is. At the end you wear the uniform and take it somewhere else.”
“I’m in the army not to feel powerless, to make an impact, for the feeling that I can prevent another family like this”
“My mother was very, very excited. I think they are very proud of what I do, understand the importance. It doesn’t change the level of concern they feel.”
“I’m in the army not to feel powerless, to make an impact, for the feeling that I can prevent another family like this.”