Yaheli Gur, teen critically injured in Karkur ramming attack, dies of her wounds

Yaheli Gur, a 17-year-old high school student from Horesh, died Wednesday of wounds sustained in a brutal car-ramming attack at Karakur Junction on February 27, where a Palestinian terrorist plowed into a crowded bus stop, injuring 14. Gur, the most critically wounded, fought for six days at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera before succumbing, her loss casting a pall over a community still grappling with the assault’s aftermath. “All of Horesh mourns with you,” Mayor Yitzhak Keshet said, his voice thick with grief. “I send a hug to her family in this unbearable hour.”

The attack struck at 4:18 p.m. last Thursday, a peak hour at the bustling Highway 65 junction near Pardes Hanna-Karkur, as commuters awaited buses home for the weekend. Jamil Ziyud, a 53-year-old Palestinian from northern Samaria—likely Jenin, per Shin Bet estimates—veered a stolen car onto the sidewalk, scattering victims aged 20 to 70 across a dirt mound. Witnesses described chaos: bodies strewn, screams piercing the dusk. MDA’s Orly Keinan arrived to a “severe scene,” her team staunching blood and immobilizing the wounded amid the wreckage.

Ziyud, an illegal resident married to an Israeli-Arab woman from Wadi Ara, fled four kilometers after the ramming, crashing into a police car near Gan Shmuel’s shopping complex and mildly injuring two officers. Emerging with a screwdriver, he was shot dead by police. “He meticulously planned it for maximum harm,” a source close to the investigation said, pointing to the timing and location. Coastal District Commander Yehiel Bohadana praised officers who “moved to engage” at the next junction, spotting damage on Ziyud’s vehicle before neutralizing him.

Hillel Yaffe received 12 victims that day: Gur in critical condition, two others serious, one moderate, five mild, and four in shock. Two more reached Sheba Medical Center, bringing the toll to 14. Hamas lauded the attack as “heroic,” amplifying regional tensions. Gur, a student at Atgarei Ha’Atid in Horesh, clung to life longest—her death a stark reminder of the violence’s reach. Police Commissioner Danny Levy, on-site, vowed a thorough probe as emergency crews scoured the area into the night.

For Horesh, Yahli’s passing cuts deep. “It’s a tragic echo of the challenges we face,” a local official said, anonymity cloaking his weariness. Her family now mourns, held by a town unwilling to let go.

May her memory be a blessing.

Ynet contributed to this article.