Palestinian terrorists murdered Tzeela Gez, a 30-year-old mother of three, on Wednesday night in a drive-by shooting on Route 446 near Peduel junction in the Binyamin region of the West Bank. Her husband was driving her from their home in the settlement of Bruchin to the hospital to give birth.
Doctors at Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus in Petah Tikva attempted to save her life but declared her dead on Thursday morning. They conducted an emergency Caesarean section to save her unborn child.
The baby boy was transferred to Schneider Children’s Medical Center for Israel in Petah Tikva in “serious but stable” condition, the hospital said.
Gez’s husband, Hannael, 40, was lightly wounded and released from the hospital on Thursday morning.
Last October, Tzeela Gez posted on her Facebook page that we were living in an “uncertain period with a feeling that nowhere is safe, and yet, we continue to go out to work and live.”
“What helps you get out of the house?” she asked.
Gez was a well-known and respected therapist in the area and had been volunteering in her community to help residents cope with trauma following the October 7 massacre, Shaked Fors, Gez’s sister, told Ynet.
“She was the best – a powerful, radiant presence with a big smile,” she said. “There are no words to describe how extraordinary she was.”
Gez’s pregnancy had been difficult, but she had remained strong, Fors said.
“She fought so hard,” she said. “She never stopped smiling, always gave strength to those around her, and was always there for others.”
Israeli leaders 'deeply shocked' by terrorist attack
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was deeply shocked by the terrorist attack.
“This despicable event reflects exactly the difference between us and the vile terrorists whose goal in life is to kill us,” he said Thursday morning. “I trust that the security forces, even in this case, will quickly apprehend the murderers and bring them to justice, along with everyone who helped them.”
President Isaac Herzog said the murder was “a criminal act of terror that chills every heart.”
“Precisely at a moment of life, a life was cruelly taken,” he wrote. “My heart goes out to the grieving family and to all her loved ones, who are deeply shaken. We are all praying now for the well-being of the baby and the recovery of [her] wounded husband, Hananel. Terrorism will not defeat the Israeli spirit. We will pursue terrorism everywhere, and we will not be silent. May her memory be blessed.”