Arlene Kushner | September 24, 2026
Courtesy
As I have indicated on numerous occasions, there is always concern about an increased risk of terror attacks during the holiday season. Would that we had no reason to be concerned!
On Friday, just before Yom Kippur, we received news of a pigua, an attack. It took place near Neveh Tzuf in the Binyamin region of Samaria. Netanel (Nati) Shukrun – father of six, the youngest age four, from Alei Zahav – had gone with his eldest son, Yoav, 16, to a natural spring in the area, Ein Raya, for immersion prior to the beginning of Yom Kippur.
They had immersed, and were back in the car, when Netanel saw the terrorist, who apparently sat in his car with an M16 rifle, waiting for people to come immerse. Yoav had not seen him.
“There is a terrorist,” he told his son, “run!” Yoav ran, and when he returned his father had been shot. Netanel was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/idf-responding-to-reported-gunfire-in-binyamin-region
The terrorist – a Palestinian Arab – is in police custody; he has been identified as a Hamas operative, according to YNet. Hamas has praised the attack but has not claimed responsibility.
A tracker from the IDF’s Binyamin Brigade was in the area patrolling in an armored jeep and arrived at the scene very shortly after the attack. His presence prevented the terrorist from shooting Yoav: He opened fire, wounding the terrorist, who returned to his car and fled towards Ramallah for medical attention. Members of the elite Duvdevan undercover commando unit tracked him to a hospital in the Ramallah area and arrested him.
President Isaac Herzog put out a statement on Sunday, following this deadly attack (emphasis added):
“I bow my head in memory of the victim murdered in the terror attack. I share wholeheartedly in the grief of his family and community…
“On the eve of this sacred festival, let it be stated clearly, ‘Terror will not break us, and it will not shake our spirit.’ We will stand against terror together, united, resolute and full of faith.” (Emphasis added)
This exemplifies the spirt of our people. Let no one doubt it.
The family had no time for a funeral, because this all happened very shortly before the beginning of Yom Kippur. Imagine this, if you can: the longest, most solemn day of the year, which the family observed, with their loved one newly dead and not yet buried.
The funeral was held past midnight on Monday, after the conclusion of Yom Kippur.
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Yoav spoke at the funeral: “Dad, I want to say thank you for 16 years together. Thank you for shouting to me when the terrorist came in during the attack. I don’t remember what you said to me, but I ran. Thank you for giving me my life. Thank God I survived, and I want to tell the family that we will keep going together and everything will be OK…” (Emphasis added)
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjilqvy5mx
Heart-wrenching words from a 16-year-old. But there is more.
“Dad was always smiling and made sure that others smiled too. I want people who hear our story to continue in his way and smile a lot.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/433494
Incredible. With young people such as Yoav, we know that Am Yisrael will be OK. May the day come before too long when he himself is able to smile again.
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But sadly, still we are not done. For on Wednesday, there was another terror attack, also in Binyamin and not terribly far from the first. In this instance there was a ramming attack on route 443 at the Maccabee checkpoint outside of Modi’in.
Severely wounded in that attack was Neria Leiter (pictured), son of Israel’s ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and his wife Chani. An economist, Neria is 39, married, and the father of four.
He was in a police car when hit, apparently because of a joint police-IDF action. The terrorist rammer was “eliminated” by security forces operating at the checkpoint.
Neria’s older brother, Moshe – with whom Neria was very close – was killed in battle in Gaza in November 2023. Neria had been serving reserve duty. He would have been exempt from further service because he had lost his brother in war but voluntarily chose to serve. Please see what he wrote at the time about his decision (emphasis added).
“As a bereaved brother, after my brother Moshe, may God avenge his blood, was killed in the war, the decision to go back to reserve duty was not simple at all. Something in the heart truly tears. But I couldn’t stand on the sidelines while my friends did another round and then another round. Internally, I didn’t really have the option of staying home.
“And the truth? Despite all the difficulty, I feel an enormous privilege. The privilege of being part of these historic moments. The privilege of being with people who give of themselves without calculating too much. The privilege of being part of a group of people who are so different from one another in ordinary life – but when they’re needed, everyone simply shows up…
“In the end, despite all the difficulty, exhaustion and the price – it is an enormous privilege to be part of the generation that is living through this period and not merely reading about it afterward. A privilege to be part of a legendary group of good people. A privilege to be in this company and on this team. A privilege to defend our home.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/433554
This statement tells us who Neria is. Once again, as is so often the case, the one who takes the hit is special. Neria’s mother now relates memories of what a comfort he was, providing emotional support for the family after Moshe’s death.
On hearing the news yesterday (Wednesday), Ambassador Leiter rushed to catch a flight that would bring him home to Israel. But first he made a statement:
“I am grateful to the IDF, to the medical team at Shaare Zedek who are now fighting to save the life of Neria Dov ben Chana, and for the prayers of the people of Israel. I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe that when the people of Israel unite, miracles happen. Neria needs a miracle.” (Emphasis added)
He asked people to pray for the recovery of Neria Dov ben Chana. Please, spread the word on this.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/433541
Today (Thursday) Leiter, having arrived at Shaare Tzedek hospital where Neria is being treated, made another statement, expressing gratitude that his son is still alive:
“We understood it was a very complicated night. There was a possibility when I boarded the plane yesterday, there was a fear that I would land this morning without hope. We are full of hope that he will pull through this time and return to us healthy and whole.”
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-909547
“Healthy and whole” are the key words here.
Neria, who sustained serious brain injury, is sedated. According to Professor Alexander Yoscovich, deputy medical director general at Shaare Tzedek hospital, “After a series of tests and a series of surgeries [three in all], we can say that his condition is stable. His condition is still serious, and his life is still in danger, but we are full of hope.”
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjja9imcgx’
Here, a comment imbued with great hope for our nation, from Ambassador Leiter:
These [our soldiers] are the superheroes of this generation….They fight together to defend this country. This is the greatest generation that has risen for the Jewish people in history.”
And yet another mark of hope, one reflecting the vicissitudes of life, is this:
Neria’s sister, Sara, heavily pregnant, rushed to be at her brother’s side when he was wounded. In the hospital her water broke, and during the night she delivered a baby girl, a couple of weeks early. She is (or was) in a room in the hospital only some 40 meters from where her brother is.
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjja9imcgx
Tomorrow (Friday) night begins Sukkot. A joyous holiday, it is referred to as Z’man Simchateinu, translated as a Season of Our Rejoicing. We are commanded more than once to rejoice at this time, from Torah. It is certainly my favorite holiday.
ecause of the imminence of the holiday, I am eager to put this out without delay. I felt it important to relay the sense of what is happening with regard to terror attacks. And to help each of you to comprehend the quality of those who are contending with these tragedies.
I have chosen not to focus on the speeches by leaders at the UN, which constitute in the main empty bombast, if not considerably worse. I may come back to UN Secretary General António Guterres, whose attitude towards Israel is venomous.
Prime Minister Netanyahu will be speaking at 9:00 Israeli time tonight. He will be focusing, we have been told, on Iran and on anti-Semitism, with relevant words about Mamdani. I will be listening and it is likely that I will write about his address in my next posting. He is an excellent speaker and has much to say. It takes extraordinary courage to get up and say it in the face of anticipated anti-Israel demonstrations.
Last night, Netanyahu said, “I am leaving…for New York in order to defend, from the U.N. podium, Israel and IDF soldiers. You hear the terrible lies that are being spread there and across other places in the world. I will fight against the lies, and I will fight for the truth—for our soldiers and for our country.”
The prime minister added: “There will also be surprises.”
https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/netanyahu-departs-for-un-general-assembly
At first I had read there would be no meetings between Netanyahu and other leaders, but apparently there will be several on the sidelines of the UN: with the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama and Ethiopia, as well as the prime ministers of Greece, Slovenia and Papua New Guinea. Others had also requested meetings, which is reassuring, but could not be accommodated in the limited time-frame. He will not be meeting President Trump, who has already left NY.
While attending to what he says, we must also note the outrageous situation in which he finds himself. He will be coming and going very quickly – arriving at a military airport in NJ (avoiding Kennedy Airport), going to straight to the UN, without side trips for other meetings. He will fly out shortly after his address.
Security concerns have dictated a need for brevity for this visit, but now the coming of Sukkot is being mentioned as a reason why time for meetings was limited.
PM Netanyahu. Gov.il
To all those who will be celebrating Sukkot, which lasts for a week, I wish Chag Sameach!
Please, pray for Israel.
©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
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