Son Recounts Final Moments With Father Before Terror Attack

Yoav Shkaron shared a harrowing account of his final moments with his father, Natanel Shkaron, who was killed in a Palestinian terror attack near the settlement of Neve Tzuf. The two had gone to a nearby spring to immerse themselves in the ritual bath before Yom Kippur, a tradition they shared. After immersing, they returned to their car, and as Natanel prepared to drive, he noticed the attacker and warned his son.

"I hear my father shouting to me: 'Yoav, it's a terror attack,' or 'Yoav, it's a terrorist.' I don't remember exactly what he shouted," Yoav recounted to Channel 7. He saw the armed assailant approaching his father and then running towards him. Yoav fled into the dense brush, with the attacker in pursuit. He shouted warnings to alert others before a tracker in a white jeep arrived, fired into the air, and then at the fleeing terrorist.

Returning to the car, Yoav desperately called out to his father, "Dad, Dad, do you hear me? Dad, do you hear me?" but received no response. He discovered his father had been killed. The attack occurred just hours before Yom Kippur, forcing Yoav to confront his first Day of Atonement without his father.

Yoav reflected on a final conversation with his father about the Yom Kippur confession, where Natanel explained the importance of reciting it early, fearing one might not have the chance later. "Dad didn't even manage to say confession," Yoav said sadly, noting his father's death before the evening prayer service. He emphasized his father's deep involvement in his life, from studies to daily moments, and his love for hiking and family trips.

Despite the trauma, Yoav wishes for his father to be remembered not for his tragic death, but for his enduring smile. "Dad always smiled and made sure others smiled too," he said. "I want people who hear us to continue in his way and smile a lot."