On January 27, while Israelis were sitting down for Shabbat dinner, terrorist Khaire Alkam, 21, from East Jerusalem stood near a synagogue in the capital's Neve Ya'akov neighborhood and shot dead seven people outside a synagogue before being killed by cops. Between then and last Friday, 11 more people were killed in terrorist attacks. These are the 18 victims of the terror wave:
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Alkam arrived by car in the northern Jerusalem neighborhood and parked on Tabenkin Street near the Ateret Avraham Synagogue. He got out of the car on the main street and then opened fire on passersby.
Shaul Chai, a 68-year-old gabbai at a synagogue, had dinner at a relative's house and after the meal, he made his way to the synagogue.
"He was the father of all of us, a dear and beloved man," said his acquaintances.
Irina Korolova, a 59-year-old Ukrainian national, was also killed in the Neve Yaakov attack. She came to Israel in December 2016 without any family members and worked in nursing care.
“She was very friendly, a person you bond with quickly,” said the sons of the elderly man Korolova cared for before her death.
“Every evening she would go on a stroll around the block with her friends after she was done taking care of our father.”
Rafael Ben Eliyahu, aged 55, was killed in the attack when he stopped the car his wife Tina and two sons were in, after a woman standing nearby shouted that the terrorist had shot her son. The family believed the terrorist had fled, but then Alkam appeared from the other side and began shooting from point-blank range.
“He shot my husband, and [my son] Matan jumped in front of me so the terrorist wouldn't hurt me. He saved my life and got injured,” the widow said.
Scene of shooting attack in Jerusalem
(Video: Liran Tamari, Alex Alex Gamborg)
Eliyahu Mizrachi, aged 48, and his wife Natali Ziskin Mizrachi, aged 45, got married two years ago. They were in their home when the shooting started. Eliyahu went down to the street to try to help the victims, but the terrorist noticed him and killed him. Natalie tried to care for her husband, but the terrorist murdered her too.
"She always made sure I have medicine and food, what will I do now?" said Natali's mother Tamara. Eliyahu's father, Shimon, said, “He heard shots and wanted to help the wounded.”
Ilya Sosanssky, a 26-year-old DJ, left his parents' home in Neve Yaakov on his motorcycle and was shot by the terrorist while on his way to work at a bar in central Jerusalem.
"He was a good guy, a ticking energy bomb that you just want to wrap in a hug," said Sosanssky’s friend Asher Azran. Adi Yona, another friend of Sosanssky’s, wrote in his memory: "You are a charm, a walking smile, a good soul who only did good. My heart is broken."
Asher Natan Morali, aged only 14, was the youngest victim of the attack. He was the eldest of eight children and had left the house following Shabbat dinner to meet up with some friends. When his parents heard gunfire, they frantically searched for their son for about an hour, only to discover that his body had been found at the scene of the attack.
"He was such a hero and a giant, he came to fix the world," said father Aaron. Mother Chaya-Mushka said that he would never have given up a kiss from her on his hand when he received a blessing on Shabbat evening.
On February 10th, Hussein Karakah, a 31-year-old resident of East Jerusalem, deliberately ran over two young brothers and another man before being neutralized in the capital’s Ramot neighborhood.
Asher Menachem Paley, aged only 7, and his brother Yaakov Israel Paley, aged 5, were waiting at a bus stop with their father and older brother on their way to a family event. The terrorist rammed into the station and struck the two young brothers.
While Yaakov Israel tragically died on the spot, Asher Menachem was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. However, he ultimately succumbed to his wounds and passed away the following day. The two brothers were buried side by side.
"Two flowers, two saints, two pure hearts", they were eulogized at their funeral.
Alter Shlomo Lederman, a 20-year-old yeshiva student, was waiting at the bus stop with his wife, whom he had married six months prior. They were on their way for a Shabbat visit to Lederman's parents in the city of Elad when the attack occurred. Alter Shlomo was critically injured and taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center, where he ultimately succumbed to his wounds after prolonged resuscitation efforts.
Security forces arresting terrorist who rammed his car into resident in Jerusalem
On February 13, Staff Sgt. Asil Sawaed, 22, was killed at an East Jerusalem checkpoint in Shuafat. Sawaed, who was from the northern Bedouin village of Hussniyya, was conducting a routine check on a bus when he was stabbed in the face by a 13-year-old Palestinian terrorist.
A civilian security guard who was with him opened fire at the terrorist, accidentally hitting Sawaed and fatally wounding him. He was pronounced dead in the hospital a few hours later. The 13-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with terrorism.
Scene of attack in Shuafat checkpoint
(Video: Eli Mandelbaum, Haim Golditch)
After his death, the police said that "at the end of his compulsory service, Asil fought to sign a permanent contract in the same place".
Friends of Sawaed, who is survived by his parents and six siblings, said that "he was the happiest person. He always assisted and helped everyone, he always got involved in every task and loved serving the security of the country.”
On February 26, Hillel Menachem Yaniv (22) and Yagel Yaakov Yaniv (20), brothers from the settlement of Har Bracha, were murdered in a shooting attack in the Palestinian town of Huwara.
The investigation into the attack revealed that a Palestinian terrorist pressed himself against the window of the brothers' car and shot them at point-blank range. Both brothers were pronounced dead at the scene.
The terrorist, Abd al-Fattah Kharousha (48), a Hamas operative from Nablus, was killed in an IDF operation in Jenin about two weeks after the attack.
Scene of shooting attack in Huwara
(Video: Elisha Ben Kimon, Magen David Adom, IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Hallel, who studied at the Kiryat Shmona Hesder Yeshiva in the northern city, had been discharged from the Navy shortly before the attack and had returned to continue his studies there.
"He was very much loved by his friends and rabbis, always with a smile, helping and aiding in every way possible," yeshiva dean Eliav Samuel.
Yagel, who attended the Givat Olga Hesder Yeshiva in Hadera, had enlisted in the IDF and was scheduled to begin procedures for combat service.
"He was a good man who taught us the value between a man and his fellow man," said his yeshiva classmate Gilad Friedman.
On February 27, 26-year-old Israeli-American Elan Ganeles was murdered in a shooting attack near Jericho. Terrorists opened fire on his car, and first responders who were called to the scene evacuated him in critical condition to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem, where doctors pronounced him dead shortly thereafter.
Ganeles came to Israel for a few weeks to attend his friend's wedding. He grew up in a passionate American Zionist family and was educated in modern Orthodox schools.
In 2014, he told a local newspaper that he intended to postpone enrollment at the University of Michigan and enlistment in the U.S. Army to live in Israel for a year.
Ganeles fell in love with Israel and eventually enlisted in the IDF. Later, he returned to the U.S. to pursue a bachelor's degree in neuroscience and sustainable development in New York.
On March 9, 32-year-old Or Eshkar was murdered in a shooting attack on Tel Aviv's busy Dizengoff Street.
The Palestinian terrorist, Mutaz Salah al-Khawaja, 23, from the West Bank town of Ni'ilin, opened fire at passers-by, mortally wounding Eshkar who passed away 11 days later.
His friends Rotem Mansano and Michael Osadon were also injured in the attack before the terrorist was eliminated.
Or's mother, Natalie, eulogized her son: "A rare bright light was extinguished. He showed love and generosity towards everyone," she said.
After finishing his military service, Or moved to Tel Aviv where he obtained a bachelor's and master's degree in business administration.
In recent years, he worked for several high-tech companies. Or had a passion for traveling the world and competed in many marathons and "Iron Man" competitions.
On April 7, Rina, 15, and Maia, 20, Dee from the settlement of Efrat were murdered in a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley.
Their mother, Lucy, was mortally wounded in the attack and is currently fighting for her life.
The scene of the attack at Hamra Junction
(Video: Ido Erez)
Terrorists who were traveling in the opposite lane to the road where the family members were traveling opened fire at them in the area of Hamra Junction on Route 57.
The family attempted to escape, but the terrorists made a U-turn and chased after them. The Dee family's car, which was en route to a holiday trip, veered off into a ditch.
At this point, one of the terrorists positioned himself outside the vehicle and shot at the family's car. Twenty-two AK-47 bullet shells were found at the scene, and the sisters were pronounced dead on the spot.
In another attack on April 7, an Italian tourist named Alessandro Parini, 36, was murdered on the Tel Aviv promenade when terrorist Yusef Abu Jaber, 46, from Kfar Qasim rammed his car into a group of tourists from Italy and Britain near the Charles Clore Park.
Abu Jaber then proceeded to ride on the bike lane along the boardwalk before veering onto the grass and overturning. Initially, a police officer and municipal inspectors stationed nearby assumed it was a mere car accident.
However, they soon realized that the suspect was attempting to reach for an object - that appeared to be a weapon - in his possession. Subsequently, they shot and killed the attacker.