A week after Shira Ish-Ran and her husband, Amichai, were wounded in a shooting north of Jerusalem, resulting in the premature birth of their son and his eventual death, the couple vowed not to let the terrorists win.
Wheelchair-bound and helped by family members, the two thanked the public for the outpouring of support over the past several days.
"We want to thank God for performing miracles," Amichai said. "My wife is sitting next to me, and I myself was hit by three bullets in the leg, and God-willing I will walk one day. I want to thank our families, who have been at our side all this time, giving us all the help they can, I want to thank the medical staff for the professional care and of course to express my heartfelt gratitude to the paramedics who saved Shira's life during those critical seconds."
Seven Israelis were wounded in the terrorist shooting, which took place at a bus stop near the Samaria settlement of Ofra last week. Shira, who was 30-weeks pregnant at the time, was critically injured and doctors performed an emergency cesarean section to save her and her baby, but ultimately the newborn – named Amiad Yisrael – died.
Amichai then went on to thank "all Israelis, who have been embracing us with great affection." He said that despite the tragedy of losing their baby, his death was not in vain. "Our son managed to unite all of us during the three days he was alive; most people can't do that in a lifetime. I am proud to be part of such a nation and we must remember and cherish this moment because it is paramount. We can have disagreements, but we must always remember that we are above all brothers and a united people."
He then vowed that terrorists will not deter him or others. "They can kill us and our children but they cannot break us; we won't let them."
His wife Shira said she would not be alive had it not been for the help of Israelis. "I lost a lot of blood, I had to receive many transfusions; the blood flowing in my arteries is the blood of the people of Israel and that gives me a lot of strength. I feel that Israelis are helping me psychologically and physically, and that helps me, every step of the way. Thank you so much for being who you are."
IDF troops continue to hunt down the cell members who carried out the attack. Israeli authorities believe a single cell is responsible for the spate of attacks in the Ramallah area this month.
On Sunday, the IDF announced that it had captured the Kalashnikov rifle and the magazines that were used for the latest attack, near the Givat Assaf settlement. Two IDF soldiers were killed in that attack and one of their rifles was taken by the terrorists.
