"Stones Were Thrown At Me, But There Was No One To Rescue Me": The Wounded Speak Out In Harrowing Interview

"Great and mighty miracles happened to us, even the hospital staff can't explain them," says Dov Alkobi, the father of Itamar Alkobi who was injured last week by stones thrown at him by Arab rioters while he was in the Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood.

"There is no other explanation for his unbelievable recovery other than the prayers of the people of Israel," continues the emotional father. "Just last week, we sat with the doctors who prepared us for a very severe situation. They talked to us about a complex brain surgery and the great risk of brain injury. Yes, Itamar is still injured and suffering great pain, his head is full of fractures, and he needs prolonged rehabilitation, but at least we have him, and we can communicate with him. We cannot stop giving thanks for that."

Itamar and his father have no free time. During the day, Itamar goes through numerous examinations and treatments, while his father stays by his side continuously. Nevertheless, they agreed to make time for a special interview with the Hidabroot website to update the people of Israel on the condition of Itamar Yosef, son of Reut Esther - the wounded from Shimon HaTzadik, for whom many prayed - and as can be seen, the prayers were not in vain.

"I Felt a Strong Blow and Collapsed"

"Everything happened on Thursday, during the intermediate days of Sukkot, when I was with friends at a friend's house living in the Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood," Itamar quietly recounts. "We came to celebrate the joyous water drawing festival, and suddenly, we felt a shower of stones being thrown at the Sukkah."

Itamar notes he doesn't remember much from that event. "I only remember that we left the Sukkah, then I felt a strong blow to my head and collapsed. I realized I was injured, but I didn’t yet understand how severe the injury was. Probably at that point, my consciousness was already blurred, and I don't remember anything else."

His father was not there, but he heard the details afterward and shares them: "Itamar is an idealistic young man who strives to support and help in every important project of kindness and aid to the people of Israel. As part of this, he traveled with his friends that day to the Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood, where the joyous water drawing celebrations were being held, and participated in an event attended by quite a few people who had come voluntarily to bring joy to the residents of the neighborhood."

However, the celebrations didn't last long because, suddenly, the stone-throwing began. "You need to understand that the day before, Arabs rioted in the neighborhood," Dov clarifies, "As it is, throughout the year, there are very severe incidents in the neighborhood of stone-throwing and Molotov cocktails. As soon as Itamar and his friends realized the magnitude of the danger, they ran out of the Sukkah, but the rioters chased them and continued throwing rocks and stones at them. At some point, my son was hit by a giant stone, and his skull was shattered. Subsequently, we saw in the images that fractures were formed from the eye socket to the middle of the forehead. Itamar collapsed on the spot, but the big problem was that his friends had difficulty rescuing him under the continuous hail of stones."

And what about rescue forces? Why didn't they arrive at the scene?

"A mobile intensive care unit arrived, but it couldn't enter the neighborhood because the rioters blocked the way. Eventually, one of the friends managed to drag Itamar to the yard of one of the houses, and there, they summoned the security officer, who miraculously is also a paramedic. There's no doubt that this saved Itamar's life. In this whole story, there was also another miracle because the security officer managed to convince the mobile intensive care team that he knew the neighborhood and would guide them safely to the wounded person. We are deeply grateful to him; without his daring actions, it's hard to know how the incident would have ended."

And when did you, as a father, get informed about what happened?

"I was in the north at that time when suddenly a friend of Itamar's called me and told me that Itamar was injured. Of course, I immediately got into the car and drove all the way to Jerusalem; I arrived at Hadassah Ein Kerem and searched for my son. No one could explain to me where he was, and I decided to stop asking and just search for him myself. I wandered between the beds in the emergency room but didn't see him anywhere. Eventually, I reached a bed in the corridor where a boy lay whom I couldn't recognize by his face, his head was swollen, and his hair was matted and soaked in blood. I was about to keep walking when suddenly I recognized the familiar shoes and realized it was my son. I approached Itamar, and when I saw that he didn't even recognize me, I felt like I was about to break apart."

Our War

From that moment on, Dov experienced a whole night of anxiety, worry, and helplessness. "The doctors explained to me that while I was driving from the north, they managed to stitch the large cut on Itamar’s forehead and also took him for a CT scan, which led to the decision that he would undergo emergency surgery in a few hours, during which they would be able to check the brain's condition and assess the size of the brain injury that had surely been caused."

"One of the doctors showed me the CT scan and demonstrated what had happened, showing that the entire left side of the skull had collapsed inward and the bone fragments were pressing on the brain. When I asked him how many fractures there were, he replied that they were too many to count, and during the surgery, they would piece all the fragments together using plates, just like a puzzle."

Dov pauses for a moment, then adds in a trembling voice, "It's hard to describe what I went through hearing those terrible descriptions. When I think about it, I can't calm down. I wouldn't wish any father to feel what I felt."

And what gave you strength during those hours?

"From the moment Itamar was taken into surgery, I started saying Tehillim incessantly, and that’s the only thing that strengthened me. Three hours passed until the doctor came out and told me that, thank Hashem, the brain's condition was reasonable; there were some bruises, scratches, and bleeding, but the situation could have been much worse. Those were good tidings, but the fear didn’t leave me, especially since several hours passed after the surgery and Itamar still hadn't woken up. It was only towards the night that we were blessed to see him show signs of waking up. At first, he didn’t recognize us; another day passed until he started to recognize us, and only the day after Simchat Torah, we finally saw him come back to us and begin to communicate."

Since the incidenthave you been in contact with the police?

"I'll be honest with you – at first, our mind wasn't on the police at all, we were focused on one thing – seeing our son return to himself. After realizing that we experienced a great miracle, we allowed ourselves to look at the footage of what happened, but we quickly left the matter because we understood there isn't truly anyone who would listen to us and handle it.

"We are very, very disappointed with the police's conduct, with the negligence and lack of security. I don't understand why I have to send my son to enjoy such a beautiful event and receive him back in an intensive care unit in critical condition. Is being a resident or visitor in the Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood a crime? Is a neighborhood five minutes away from the capital center not in need of protection? How can it be explained that the police prefer to send forces to places that aren't threatened at all, but to a place that is so threatened they don't send even a single force, even though riots occurred there a day before? We were blessed to receive Itamar through a great miracle, but this incident must shake the public and mainly raise an alert to the police and security forces. The law must be enforced against the rioters; this is our collective life's battle."

Calling For Redemption

And what’s the next step? Is there talk of discharge already?

Itamar sighs before responding: "The doctors still don't know, they fear further injuries might be revealed later and aren't rushing to discharge me, but I’m already waiting for the moment of discharge, desperately wanting to return to routine, to my friends and yeshiva. I want to continue living normally; I have no time for pampering."

"If you ask me, I'd prefer Itamar to take all the time needed to recover and return to himself gradually," notes Dov. "We’re not looking for excitement, but want him to heal slowly and undergo all the necessary processes until full recovery. We’re very happy that he’s filled with ambition and wants to return to routine, but we also worry about him and want to ensure he’s safe and sound first."

Is there a message you’d like to convey to the people of Israel?

"I want to thank everyone who prayed for me," Itamar requests, "I was moved by every prayer and was greatly strengthened. It strengthened my feeling that this isn’t just a personal affair of mine, but that I became ‘an injured of all Israel’. I think this feeling should accompany all of us – when a terrorist attack occurs, we must not treat it as an isolated event, and such cases should shake us all. We need to recognize this reality where the enemy spreads bloodshed and destruction everywhere, and rally together to press everyone who can stop the situation before it is too late."

His father adds, "I would like to offer something else – to unite together to demand redemption, to literally cry out for redemption. I have no doubt that Hashem expects this and sends us so many signs and signals. He wants us to unite and understand that the only thing that will really stop the terror is the complete redemption. So let's all ask for it and cry out for an end to the troubles."

Please continue to pray for the complete recovery of Itamar Yosef, son of Reut Esther, among the rest of the sick of Israel