Stones thrown at mother whose son was hurt in Gush Etzion attack
The mother of one of the IDF soldiers wounded in the attack at al-Arroub, a resident of southern East Jerusalem, was pelted with stones several hours before attack took place.
"The Director General of the Jerusalem Municipality woke me up with a phone call and put the mayor on the line, who told me that my son had been wounded in a vehicular attack near Gush Etzion. I have no idea how I made it to the hospital after that," said Sharon, the mother of one of the three IDF solders hurt in the terror attack near a pillbox by al-Arroub in the West Bank on Wednesday night. He is currently hospitalized, and is listed in light condition.
"You hear about people wounded in the news all the time, but when it comes to your son, your house, it's different. It's difficult," she said, summing up her feelings.
Sharon added that she spoke with her son, who reassured and calmed her, immediately after Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat informed Sharon about his situation.
"Unfortunately, I saw the video in which they were run over. It was a mistake to do that," she added. "Itai was one of the first who suffered the impact of the hit, but thank God he is alright. It was a miracle. From what he described, the impact was very strong and he had no time to react."
Sharon, who lives with her family at the Armon HaNetziv neighborhood in southern East Jerusalem, said that in the early morning hours of Wednesday, she was riding her motorcycle when a Palestinian threw a stone at her, hitting her helmet.
"Several hours later, I hear that my son was wounded. We experience this every day. Something is wrong with security operations, with deterrence actions. No proper response was given. There's a feeling that we're the only ones who want peace. I'm not saying shoot anyone who hurls a stone, but you can't ignore this situation – the citizens are being abandoned, and I as a citizen do not feel protected in my city.
Sharon said that her son had fought in Operation Protective Edge, during which she experienced long days filled with worry and concern. "We went through a month-and-a-half long nightmare," she added.
The three soldiers wounded in the attack are hospitalized at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem. One of them is in critical condition, the other is suffering moderate-to-severe injuries and Sharon's son Itai is, as mentioned, in light condition.
Halel Horwitz, a relative of the soldier who was critically wounded, said: "His situation somewhat deteriorated today. He talked with us and told us how the car sped into them, how he thought at first that he had fell, and he can't remember any more beyond that point. He's a hero and we believe that he will overcome this and return to his unit as soon as possible."
Kobi Nachsoni contributed to this report.
