Amidst Israel-Iran War, Woman Killed While Shielding Son In Tel Aviv Shooting

At least seven people were killed after two gunmen, allegedly associated with Hamas, opened fire and stabbed people at a light rail station in Jaffa, Tel Aviv-Yafo, in Israel on October 1. One of these victims was Inbar Segev-Vigder, a new mother who was shielding her 9-month-old baby boy from the attacks before getting shot dead. According to Israeli officlals, the 33-year-old woman was a fitness and Pilates studio owner in Tel Aviv.

Mother Shot Dead While Protecting Child

The official X account of the State of Israel wrote on X, "One of the victims from yesterday's terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, Inbar Segev-Vigder, was murdered while shielding her 9-month-old son Ari. She saved his life. There are no words. Only heartbreak. May the memory of the victims be a blessing."

The officials also shared a picture of the mother and son. Segev-Vigder reportedly got married in 2023 and had their baby boy, Ari, in December. Her husband, Yaari Vigder, serves as an Israeli reservist soldier, according to reports. Witnesses said that she was shot dead while exiting a train in Jaffa.

"Ari was in a carrier that covered Inbar's entire upper body during the attack, he was not injured at all. For the rest of his life -- may he feel the same love he received from Inbar," her grieving husband told Israeli news outlet, Channel 11, according to a report in Jerusalem Post.

Just hours before the shooting, Segev-Vigder posted a prayer on social media just for the safety of Israeli soldiers entering Lebanon, reports said. The other victims were identified as Revital Bronstein, 24; Shahar Goldman, 30; Nadia Sokolenko, 40, who has a 6-year-old daughter; and Ilya Nozadze, 42. 

The tragic attacks lasted minutes before Iran launched a massive barrage of ballistic missiles into Israeli territory. The Iranian attack was reportedly a retaliation to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several other high-ranking officials of the terror group earlier that week.

Israeli police told the media that the attackers in Jaffa were residents of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestine. On October 2, Hamas reportedly claimed responsibility of the attacks, calling it a "heroic Jaffa operation carried out by the fighters," according to a statement shared by Al Jazeera.

Police said that one of the attackers was shot dead by a civilian armed with a gun and a security guard. The other attacker reportedly suffered serious wounds. The Israeli security agency and the army also arrested several suspects in Hebron and Jerusalem believed to have aided the suspects.