11 Recent Victims of Palestinian Violence February 25, 2002

Israel Government Press Office Monday, February 25, 2002

#1 Ahmed Mazarib:
Feb 18, 2002 - Policeman Ahmed Mazarib, 32, of the Bedouin village Beit
Zarzir in the Galilee, was killed by a suicide bomber whom he had stopped
for questioning on the Ma'ale Adumim-Jerusalem road.

The car was pulled over for a routine check. When it turned out to be a
stolen vehicle, Ahmed drew his weapon. The terrorist activated the explosive
detonator and the car blew up. Chief of Police Shlomo Aharonishki said that
the car bomber was headed for central Jerusalem, and that "there is no doubt
that Ahmed's courage prevented many casualties." The Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs
Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack.

Ahmed Mazarib's family and friends were devastated by his death. They had
just recently ended a 40-day-morning period after the death of his cousin,
Maj. Ashraf Hawash, who was killed in a terrorist attack on an IDF post in
the Gaza Strip on January 9.

Mazarib joined the police eight years ago and worked in the Jerusalem
district. He was planning to be transferred to the Galilee division in the
near future.

Ahmed Mazarib was buried in Beit Zarzir. He is survived by his wife, Dunia,
and three daughters.

#2 Ahuva Amergi:
Feb 18, 2002 - Ahuva Amergi, 30, of Ganei Tal in Gush Katif was killed when
a Palestinian terrorist opened fire on her car near the Kissufim junction.

Ahuva Amergi was driving home from Ashkelon when she was mortally wounded.
The shots were heard by soldiers - who came to the aid of Ahuva - at the
nearby outposts. Two of them - Maj. Mor Elraz and St.-Sgt. Amir Mansouri,
were killed while trying to intercept the terrorist.

Ahuva Amergi came to Ganei Tal as part of her National Service when she was
18 years old. There she met and married Rafi Amergi, and they made their
home in the moshav. Ahuva studied law at Bar-Ilan Unevesrity and began
working as a lawyer in Be'er Sheva.

Ahuva's employer, Dan Malchieli said: "Ahuva was a great woman. She was
gifted and a great person. She was incredibly gifted, you could count on her
with your eyes closed. I knew she was a lawyer with a great future ahead of
her. It is hard for me to accept that all this has suddenly stopped and come
to an end."

Ahuva Amergi was buried in the Gush Katif regional cemetery. She is survived
by her husband, Rafi, and two small sons, Yitzhak (3 1/2) and Efraim, under
2.

#3 Maj. Mor Elraz:
Feb 18, 2002 - Maj. Mor Elraz, 25, of Kiryat Ata was one of two soldiers
killed while trying to intercept a terrorist who had opened fire on a
civilian vehicle near the Kissufim junction in the Gaza Strip, killing one
and injuring another.

Maj. Mor Elraz, a company commander in the Givati Brigade and St.-Sgt. Amir
Mansouri were killed while responding to the terrorist attack in which Ahuva
Amergi was killed. In an interview with Ma'ariv two weeks ago, Elraz said,
"There is a war going on, and we shall win this war."

Elraz was the commander of the Rotem Unit, a special division that assists
the elite IDF unit known as the Givati Brigades. During his military
service, he graduated with a BA in International Relations from the Hebrew
University in Jerusalem.

Maj. Mor Elraz was buried in Kiryat-Ata. He is survived by his parents -
Nurit and Shimon Elraz - and his brother - Shaked.

#4 St.-Sgt. Amir Mansouri:
Feb 18, 2002 - St.-Sgt. Amir Mansouri, 21, of Kiryat Arba was one of two
soldiers killed while trying to intercept a terrorist who had opened fire on
a civilian vehicle near the Kissufim junction in the Gaza Strip, killing one
and injuring another.

St.-Sgt. Amir Mansouri was killed along with Maj. Mor Elraz, his company
commander in the Givati Brigades, while responding to the terrorist attack
in which Ahuva Amergi was killed.

Amir was the second child in a family of five. The family is one of the
largest and well-known in Kiryat Arba. His school principal said that he was
a very special and determined young man who had a close relationship with
his parents. He was an avid fan of the Betar Jerusalem soccer club.

St.-Sgt. Amir Mansouri was buried in Jerusalem's military cemetery on Mount
Herzl. He is survived by his parents and four siblings.

#5 Lt. Moshe Eini:
Feb 19, 2002 - Lt. Moshe Eini, 21, of Petah Tikva was one of six soldiers
killed in a terrorist attack near a roadblock west of Ramallah. Several
terrorists opened fire at soldiers at the roadblock, including three
off-duty soldiers inside a structure at the roadblock, killing them at
point-blank range.

The attack took place at about 9 P.M., a few hours after the troops who had
manned the Ein-Ariq outpost for the last few months handed the position over
to replacements from the same corps. The outpost, consisting of a roadblock
and a few temporary housing buildings, was manned by eight soldiers, five of
whom were on guard at the time. Two or three Palestinians apparently opened
simultaneous fire at the outpost from different directions, killing six
soldiers and injuring one.

Moshe Eini was the third and youngest child of Ezra, a tour guide, and
Nurit, a high school teacher. Moshe graduated from the Ahad Ha'am high
school in Ramat-Gan and joined the Israel Air Force. After a few months he
was transferred to serve in the Engineers Corps. Moshe's friends described
him as a very happy person, very energetic, someone who just enjoyed life
and always wanted to be first, the best.

The principal of his high school said that "Moishele", as he was called, was
a lovable person and student, and that he always set high standards for
himself. "He love the scouts and used to hike a lot," he said.

Lt. Moshe Eini was buried in the Segula cemetery in Petah Tikva. He is
survived by his parents, his brother Shmuel and sister Yael.

#6 St.-Sgt. Benny Kikis:
Feb 19, 2002 - St.-Sgt. Benny Kikis, 20, of Carmiel was one of six soldiers
killed in a terrorist attack near a roadblock west of Ramallah. Several
terrorists opened fire at soldiers at the roadblock, including three
off-duty soldiers inside a structure at the roadblock, killing them at
point-blank range.

The attack took place at about 9 P.M., a few hours after the troops who had
manned the Ein-Ariq outpost for the last few months handed the position over
to replacements from the same corps. The outpost, consisting of a roadblock
and a few temporary housing buildings, was manned by eight soldiers, five of
whom were on guard at the time. Two or three Palestinians apparently opened
simultaneous fire at the outpost from different directions, killing six
soldiers and injuring one.

Benny's parents, Margaret and Yuri immigrated to Israel from the Ukraine in
1979. Benny was boorn three years later, and last week celebrated his 20th
birthday at his home in Carmiel.

About a year and a half ago he joined a unit of Combat Engineers. Kikis was
very proud to serve in the IDF, and especially as an army paramedic. A month
ago Benny broke his hand. Last week he took of the cast and immediately
asked to return to his unit, "so that other soldiers could go home." On
Sunday he returned to the unit, and was killed several days later.

St.-Sgt. Benny Kikis was buried in the military cemetery in Carmiel. He is
survived by his parents and an older brother.

#7 St.-Sgt. Mark Podolsky:
Feb 19, 2002 - St.-Sgt. Mark Podolsky, 20, of Tel Aviv was one of six
soldiers killed in a terrorist attack near a roadblock west of Ramallah.
Several terrorists opened fire at soldiers at the roadblock, including three
off-duty soldiers inside a structure at the roadblock, killing them at
point-blank range.

The attack took place at about 9 P.M., a few hours after the troops who had
manned the Ein-Ariq outpost for the last few months handed the position over
to replacements from the same corps. The outpost, consisting of a roadblock
and a few temporary housing buildings, was manned by eight soldiers, five of
whom were on guard at the time. Two or three Palestinians apparently opened
simultaneous fire at the outpost from different directions, killing six
soldiers and injuring one.

Mark immigrated to Israel from the Ukraine 11 years ago, together with his
parents, Ella and Abraham, and his older sister Ina. They lived in a small
apartment in Jaffa. Mark began his studies in Israel in the Bialik
elementary school in Tel-Aviv and completed his high school studies,
majoring in biology, at the Rogozin high school. His closest friend,
St.-Sgt. Michael Hochsman, was also killed in the attack.

"He was industrious, he worked as a waiter in an hotel in Tel-Aviv," said
his mother. "He wanted to be a combat soldier. Before he joined the army he
went to the gym to get ready for it. He loved his service in the Combat
Engeneering unit, and especially his friends there. He never had a
girlfriend, he died before he could fall in love."

St.-Sgt. Mark Podolsky was buried in the military cemetery in Holon. He left
behind his parents and sister.

#8 St.-Sgt. Erez Turgeman:
Feb 19, 2002 - St.-Sgt. Erez Turgeman, 20, of Jerusalem was one of six
soldiers killed in a terrorist attack near a roadblock west of Ramallah.
Several terrorists opened fire at soldiers at the roadblock, including three
off-duty soldiers inside a structure at the roadblock, killing them at
point-blank range.

The attack took place at about 9 P.M., a few hours after the troops who had
manned the Ein-Ariq outpost for the last few months handed the position over
to replacements from the same corps. The outpost, consisting of a roadblock
and a few temporary housing buildings, was manned by eight soldiers, five of
whom were on guard at the time. Two or three Palestinians apparently opened
simultaneous fire at the outpost from different directions, killing six
soldiers and injuring one.

The oldest of four children, Erez Turgeman lived with his family in
Jerusalem's Talpiyot neighborhood. He graduated from Ort Nevi'im high school
and toured Japan before he joined the IDF. He was an enthusiastic soccer fan
.

"Last week he was on a mission in Nablus," said Erez's younger brother, Tal.
"He asked me not to tell mom and dad, not to worry them. He was very proud
of his service, and he was happy when I began my army service. He believed
that if you join the army you have to do everything you possibly can, and
therefore he chose combat service."

"Erez was a wonderful child, who loved helping and giving," said his mother
Etti. "He had a hard time at the beginning of basic training, but he
continued."

St.-Sgt. Erez Turgeman was laid to rest in the military section of the Mount
Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem. He is survived by his parents, Shalom and Etti,
two brothers, Tal (18) and Ziv (11), and his sister Dana (16).

#9 St.-Sgt. Tamir Atsmi:
Feb 19, 2002 - St.-Sgt. Tamir Atsmi, 21, of Kiryat Ono was one of six
soldiers killed in a terrorist attack near a roadblock west of Ramallah.
Several terrorists opened fire at soldiers at the roadblock, including three
off-duty soldiers inside a structure at the roadblock, killing them at
point-blank range.

The attack took place at about 9 P.M., a few hours after the troops who had
manned the Ein-Ariq outpost for the last few months handed the position over
to replacements from the same corps. The outpost, consisting of a roadblock
and a few temporary housing buildings, was manned by eight soldiers, five of
whom were on guard at the time. Two or three Palestinians apparently opened
simultaneous fire at the outpost from different directions, killing six
soldiers and injuring one.

Tamir was the eldest son of Yair and Rachel Atsmi. He attended the Shilo
religious school in Kiryat Ono, and completed his high school studies at the
Rogozin High School in Or Yehuda.

Tamir believed in peace, love and wisdom. On one of the walls of his room
Tamir drew the symbols of his beliefs. On another wall the words of a song
of "Paradise Lost" - the band he dearly loved: "There's no rule that says
you have to cry alone. Just find the strength to help you carry the load."
These words also served as his life motto.

Tal, Tamir's cousin, said that he had a lot of dreams and plans for the
future, and that he was artistically very gifted, in both drawing and
sculpturing. "He was highly motivated and was always the first to volunteer
for any task. He was a responsible person, serious and thoughtful, and loved
animals and nature. Before beginning his army service, he took a job in a
factory because he didn't want to be a burden on his parents," said Tal.

After his army service, Tamir planned to travel to Scandinavia and Japan,
and in the future to study at the Bezalel Art College in Jerusalem.

St.-Sgt. Tamir Atsmi was buried in the Kiryat Shaul military cemetery in
Tel-Aviv. He is survived by his parents, Yair and Rachel, his sister Sivan
(18), and brother Yonatan (15).

#10 St.-Sgt. Michael Hochsman:
Feb 19, 2002 - St.-Sgt. Michael Hochsman, 21, of Haifa was one of six
soldiers killed in a terrorist attack near a roadblock west of Ramallah.
Several terrorists opened fire at soldiers at the roadblock, including three
off-duty soldiers inside a structure at the roadblock, killing them at
point-blank range.

The attack took place at about 9 P.M., a few hours after the troops who had
manned the Ein-Ariq outpost for the last few months handed the position over
to replacements from the same corps. The outpost, consisting of a roadblock
and a few temporary housing buildings, was manned by eight soldiers, five of
whom were on guard at the time. Two or three Palestinians apparently opened
simultaneous fire at the outpost from different directions, killing six
soldiers and injuring one.

Michael Hochsman immigrated to Israel alone in 1995, at the age of 15,
settling at Kibbutz Sasa in the north. Inspired by his son, his father later
immigrated and six months ago, his older sister, Svetlana, joined them.
Michael's mother Olga remained in Russia.

According to his father Yevgeny, Hochsman was very proud to serve as a
combat soldier in the army. "When I told him I was worried about him,
Michael told me: 'I sat in the shelter in Sasa, and I know what it means to
protect the country.'"

He related yesterday that just a few days ago he purchased a cell phone for
Michael, so that the two might keep in touch. "We only made one call on the
phone. I asked him how he was doing, and wanted to know where he was
serving. He said, 'Turn on the television - that's where I am.'" He was
killed together with his good friend St.-Sgt. Mark Podolsky.

Michael Hochsman was buried in Haifa. He is survived by his parents and
sister.

#11 Valery Ahmir:
Feb 22, 2002 - Valery Ahmir, 59, of Beit Shemesh was killed by terrorists in
a drive-by shooting on the Atarot-Givat Ze'ev road north of Jerusalem.

Valery Ahmir was returning home at around 4 p.m. from the Atarot industrial
center where he worked as a guard when terrorists in a passing car sprayed
his vehicle with gunfire, hitting him in the head. His vehicle crashed into
a safety barrier on the side of the road.

Valery and his wife Tamara immigrated to Israel from Russia 12 years ago.
Valery, who was a doctor, did not find work in his profession in Israel, and
took a job as a guard. Though he suffered from diabetes, he did not want to
stay home.

Valery Ahmir will be buried in Beit Shemesh. He leaves behind his wife and
their son (31), who lives abroad.