NETANYA — “It was a beautiful spring day and many people were sitting in the cafes,” said Scottish-born Alf Gordon, a Civil Guard volunteer with the Tourist Police. “We were patrolling the square, especially because of Land Day. I’d just gone off duty when I heard the explosion and returned immediately to offer what help I could. Ambulances took the wounded away within minutes.”
“I heard a terrible explosion and ran down immediately to help,” said Aviva Komeroff, who works in a travel agency overlooking the square. “People were in shock. I saw a soldier who had lost at least two fingers. One man was shaking terribly. I brought him water and stayed with him until the ambulances came.
“A traumatized mother stood hugging her baby. Her husband couldn’t speak. A soldier took the child in his arms and promised not to leave him until a family member arrived.
“Terrible memories came flooding back. I was injured by a bomb on Rehov Herzl in 1977, and have had a few near misses in the past two years.”
“There was a terrible sound, then the silence of death before I heard screaming from below,” said Mali Wasserman, whose jewelry store faces the open square.
“A second before the explosion, I noticed a suspicious man. He was wearing an old jacket. There was something suspicious about his body language and the way he walked quickly away, but I didn’t have time to tell a policeman.
“We’re always suspicious and watch people as they walk past. We have to be constantly alert, it’s a part of life. Nothing will change. I’ll continue to go to work every day, even though business is so poor.”
Forty-three of the 49 wounded were taken to nearby Laniado Hospital. “This is our 13th terror incident in the past two years,” hospital administrator Sarah Stieglitz said. “Netanya is a popular site for the terrorists.
“We are too well-prepared. The emergency services reacted rapidly, and the victims were quickly categorized according to the seriousness of their wounds. Specialist physicians dealt with the physical injuries, and psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers were mobilized for the expected second wave of trauma victims, who usually arrive an hour or two after such explosions.”
A woman and her husband were eating lunch with their baby Ma’ayan. “We didn’t see the terrorist. Ma’ayan, who celebrated his first birthday last week, was strapped into a baby chair. He wasn’t hit. It was a miracle,” his mother said. “His stroller stopped most of the flying glass and shrapnel. I even saw a body part that landed in the stroller.
“We moved to Netanya only six weeks ago, and I’m already having second thoughts. I’m not happy about what’s going on in the city.”
“I was thrown out of my seat by the blast,” said Levana Taniana, who suffered light wounds. “Tables and chairs were flying through the air. It was a catastrophic scene. Then I passed out, and don’t remember anything until I woke up in the hospital. I was saved from death today.” I eat at Cafe London at least twice a week. Nobody checked my bags.” she said.
“It’s a miracle that I survived,” said Yosef Shmuel, as he was wheeled out of an operating theater after undergoing physical checks.
“I was about a meter away, but only suffered cuts on one arm. I was thrown to the ground, and my kippah landed 15 meters away. I don’t need a flak jacket — my tallit saved me.”
A traumatized Niad Yassin from Taiba lay semiconscious in his hospital bed, surrounded by worried family members. “We were enjoying lunch in a nearby cafe when the whole street shook from the explosion,” said his wife Fatma, who is seven months pregnant. “Thank God I and my baby are fine.”
An Arab from Wadi Ara, who works as a barman at the cafe, was also hospitalized with multiple cuts to his upper body.
“Many Israeli Arabs use the facilities of the city, and we welcome them,” said Netanya Mayor Miriam Feirberg, who was visiting the wounded.
“Three years ago, I had lunch with the mayor of Tulkarm and invited him to return. Unfortunately, he sent us 14 suicide bombers instead. This is not resistance, it’s murder.
“The citizens of Netanya are an example of strength. There is no panic, and life will return to normal within a short time, to prove that terror will not succeed.”