Wednesday marked ten years since the terror attack in Wadi Haramiya
in March of 2002.
Ten Israelis were killed in the sniper attack, when 22-year-old
Tha’ir Kayid Hamad, an Arab from the village of Silwad, ambushed an
IDF checkpoint near Ofra. He killed both soldiers and civilians who
stopped at the checkpoint.
Hamad was arrested two years after the attack and was sentenced to 11
life sentences.
A special memorial ceremony for the attack victims was held and was
attended by the victims’ families, Binyamin Regional Council Chairman
Avi Roeh and the commander of the IDF’s Binyamin Brigade, Sa’ar Tzur.
One of the victims of the terror attack was David Demlin, the
commander of the platoon that came under attack. After the terrorist
shot and killed some of the members of the platoon, Demlin and the
unit´s medic, Yochai Porat, emerged from a barracks building in which
they were staying to locate the shooter and assist the casualties.
Both were shot to death.
Since the attack, the checkpoint has been turned into a memorial for
those who were killed. For David’s brother, Eran, however, the
place “still feels like a battlefield.”
