Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, whose son Neria was seriously wounded during a car-ramming terror attack on Wednesday, said that his son's life was still in danger during a Thursday press conference outside the hospital where he was being treated.
“His life is still in danger," Leiter said. "This experience is different from the night when I received the knock on the door, when my eldest son fell in combat. He died instantly, and there was no possibility of bringing him to a hospital and allowing Israel’s doctors to save his life. There was also no possibility for us to gather around his bedside, recite Psalms, and rally the people of Israel to pray for his recovery."
He said that he had feared that he would land in Israel without any hope, but was heartened to hear that Neria's condition had stabilized, adding a request that the public continue praying for his recovery.
His daughter, Leiter added, had given birth the day before after visiting her brother, and was in the same hospital as Neria, only 40 meters away.
“On a personal and more public note, I received the news in New York yesterday, immediately after an interview in which I was asked about the violence in Judea and Samaria,” he also added.
Shaare Zedek Medical Center said that Neria's condition was stable after several examinations and surgeries, but that his condition was still defined as serious, and his life remains in danger.
Neria seriously wounded in car-ramming three years after his brother killed in Gaza
Neria, an IDF reservist, was seriously wounded in a car-ramming terrorist attack at Maccabim (Bell) checkpoint on Route 443 near Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut.
In 2023, one of Leiter’s other sons, Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidya, was killed in Gaza. He was a company commander in the 551st Brigade’s 697th Battalion.
Miriam Sela-Eitam and Maariv contributed to this report.