An Israel Defense Forces officer injured in a shooting attack last weekend near Jerusalem’s Old City has seen a deterioration in his medical condition, his parents said Tuesday evening.
The officer, whose full name is not being published, was said to be in serious but stable condition and is sedated and on a respirator, according to Hebrew media reports.
“Today it turned out that Nadav’s situation is more complex than we thought,” his parents said. They added that in-depth examinations were being carried out “and this means that Nadav’s rehabilitation period will be longer than we expected and that we need to pray a lot.”
The parents called for a public prayer event to be held at the Western Wall later in the evening, which they also attended. They also asked that well-wishers reduce their visits to see the officer at the hospital.
The prayer service was streamed live on the internet by the OneFamily organization that supports the families of terror victims. Dozens of people braved the inclement winter weather to attend the service.
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The Paratroopers Brigade officer, who was off-duty at the time of the attack, returned fire and managed to strike the shooter — a 13-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem — despite his wounds.
The officer’s father was also seriously hurt in the shooting. Both suffered gunshot wounds to their upper bodies, according to MDA and officials at Shaare Zedek Medical Center where they were treated.
On Sunday, the Jerusalem hospital said that the father was released in good condition.
The attacker was named in the media as Muhammad Aliwat from Silwan.
Police said the teenager arrived in the area armed and apparently carried out the attack alone.
In surveillance video from the scene he can be seen waiting behind some parked cars before opening fire toward a group of people.
The attack came hours after seven people were killed and three more were hurt in a shooting attack on Friday night in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood.
