Ambassador's Son Critically Injured in Terror Attack; Daughter Gives Birth Nearby

Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Michael (Yechiel) Reiter, gave a press conference Thursday from Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, having rushed back from preparations for the Prime Minister's UN visit. His son, Neria, was critically injured in a car-ramming attack on Route 443.

Adding to the family's ordeal, Reiter's elder daughter, Sarah, arrived at the hospital to visit her injured brother and was admitted for childbirth. She is currently hospitalized just 40 meters from Neria's intensive care unit bed, according to her father.

Reiter drew a parallel between Neria's fight for life and the loss of his eldest son, Major Moshe Yedidya Reiter, who was killed three years ago. "This experience is different from the night I received the knock on the door," Reiter stated. "He died immediately, there was no possibility then to bring him to a hospital and let Israel's top doctors work on him. Here, this was an opportunity for us to gather around Neria's bed and rally the people of Israel to pray."

Neria, a reservist who served hundreds of days on various fronts, was injured while on duty at a checkpoint. The attacker, Mahmoud Suleiman from the village of Beit Ur al-Tahta, was not previously known to security forces and is believed to have acted alone before being neutralized at the scene.

Neria underwent a complex, hours-long brain surgery on Wednesday. Shaare Zedek's Deputy Director of Medicine, Professor Alexander Yuskovich, reported that Neria's condition stabilized after a series of tests and surgeries. "His condition is still serious and his life is in danger, but we are full of hope," Yuskovich said, noting that Neria arrived in extremely critical condition and required resuscitation upon admission. Reiter expressed confidence in the medical team, stating, "We feel we are in the best hands."