Israel is mourning the four people who died this week in a terror attack at an upscale food and shopping complex in Tel Aviv.
Diners and shoppers scrambled Wednesday night when two men opened fire at Sarona Market. Israeli police have arrested the suspects, who have been identified as Palenstinians in their 20s.
Altogether, 13 people suffered gunshot wounds, authorities said. Four wounded people remained hospitalized, including one of the suspects.
The killings left family members heartbroken and trying to make sense of what had happened.
“This is a meaningless death,” said Yigal Goldenberg, brother-in-law of victim Ido Ben Ari. “It won’t bring any solution to an end, and it won’t solve anything. He died. Three more people died. That’s all. This won’t end anything. This won’t solve anything. Violence is not a legitimized meaning to achieve.”
Here is what we know about the Tel Aviv victims:
Ido Ben Ari
Ido Ben Ari, 42, had served in the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit of the Israel Defense Forces and was the father of two sons, ages 16 and 14. He lived in Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv.
He held a senior position at the Coca-Cola Co.’s Israel branch, his sister told the Ynetnews site.
In a statement, Coca-Cola said the company “mourns the tragic loss of our friend Ido Ben Ari, a victim of this horrific act. We send our condolences and warmest wishes to the family.”
Ben Ari was dining with his wife, Tal, at the Max Brenner restaurant when the attack happened. He was shot several times, first in the back.
His wife, a special needs teacher, was shot two or three times through her shoulder and arm. Recovering at a hospital, the widow went to her husband’s funeral Thursday in an ambulance.
Mourners packed the outdoors funeral, with burial directly afterward.
“He was the glue that stuck all the family around him,” said Goldenberg, his brother-in-law. “A wonderful soul and we miss him already.”
Michael Feige
Michael Feige, 58, spent his life studying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the end, the conflict took his life, too.
He was head of the Israel studies track at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, according to the university, which said he specialized in “topics of Israeli society, collective memory and political myth.”
He also wrote the prize-winning book “Settling in the Hearts: Jewish Fundamentalism in the Occupied Territories.”
“Michael was one of those who was head and shoulders above the crowd, an amazing person and a fantastic researcher,” professor Oren Yiftachel, head of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at the university, said in a statement from the school.
“He was a very important researcher who delved into sensitive topics and derived interesting insights. … This is a heavy loss for our university. He had the ability to understand all sides and therefore he was such a good anthropologist.”
Feige is survived by his wife and three daughters.
Mila Mishayev
Mila Mishayev, a 32-year-old woman from the Israeli coastal city of Rishon LeZion, was waiting for her fiancé t at a restaurant at the time of the shooting, according to The Times of Israel.
She was shot in the leg, according to Ynetnews. She managed to call her partner after being wounded but later died due to significant blood loss.
A funeral service for Mishayev was held Friday afternoon in Ashkelon.
Ynetnews also quoted Ashkelon Mayor Itamar Shimoni in a statement saying, “May God avenge all who were murdered in the shooting attack.”
Ilana Naveh
Ilana Naveh, also from Ramat Gan, was out to celebrate her 40th birthday when she was killed, the Times of Israel reported. She left behind four daughters and was buried in Yarkon Cemetery in Tel Aviv, according to The Jerusalem Post.
