Israeli Ambassador to US Updates on Son's Condition After Terror Attack

Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Michael Levitt, provided an update from Shaare Zedek Medical Center on Thursday, stating that his son, Neria Levitt, who was critically injured in a car-ramming attack at the Mitzpe Harel checkpoint on Route 443 the previous day, has been stabilized. Levitt reported that at one point, there was concern Neria's condition was hopeless, but doctors managed to stabilize him. However, his life remains in danger.

Neria Levitt was evacuated to Shaare Zedek after the attack, where he underwent life-saving procedures in the trauma unit, followed by a complex brain surgery lasting several hours, along with other treatments. The hospital stated his condition is very serious and life-threatening.

The IDF confirmed that forces were dispatched to the Mitzpe Harel checkpoint following reports of a ramming attack, and the assailant was neutralized. The attacker was identified as Mahmoud Muhammad Mahmoud Suleiman, 29, from the Palestinian village of Beit Ur al-Tahta.

Following the attack, Ambassador Levitt expressed gratitude to the IDF and the medical team at Shaare Zedek for fighting for his son's life and for the prayers of the Israeli people. He also mentioned that his son continued to serve in reserve duty after losing his older brother, Moshe Yedidya Levitt, who fell in combat in Gaza, and had served hundreds of days in reserve duty on various fronts since October 7.

Speaking from the hospital on Thursday, the ambassador contrasted the current situation with the loss of his elder son. "This experience is different from the night I received the knock on the door about my elder son who fell while fulfilling his duty in the fighting in Gaza. He died immediately, and there was no possibility of bringing him to a hospital," he said. The ambassador also shared that his daughter, who was heavily pregnant, arrived at the hospital after her brother Neria's injury. During her stay, her water broke, and she subsequently gave birth to a daughter.