A woman, who was 14 years old when she was seriously wounded in a terror attack in Jerusalem six years ago, died early Wednesday morning.
Hodaya Asulin, a resident of Mevo Horon in the West Bank, was seriously wounded by a bomb that blew up near a payphone close to the International Convention Center in the capital on March 23, 2011, and had been in a coma since.
A 59-year-old British tourist was also killed, and dozens were wounded in the blast.
Following an investigation into the attack, it emerged that a bomb had been hidden in a bag near a public telephone and exploded at around 3 p.m. next to the 74 bus line.
Since the attack, Asulin received intensive medical treatment, clinging to her life in a protracted struggle. In the last two weeks, however, a serious deterioration in her medical state was recorded, causing her death in her hospital bed in Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem.
Hodaya’s uncle, Rafi Asulin, spoke to Ynet after his niece’s death. “For the last six-and-a-half years, we have fought for the family to be complete, but at the end of the end, Hodaya passed away. Her death is extremely painful for her parents. We loved Hodaya deeply,” he said.
Hodaya’s parents, both of whom work in education, changed their daily lives to tend to their daughter at home.
“Throughout the years, they opened a small hospital in their home, and the whole family helped Hodaya,” Rafi added. “She underwent three resuscitations and survived them all, but last night, she died.”