Heroic Mother Sacrifices Life Shielding Newborn From Gunfire in Tel Aviv Terror Attack
Inbar Segev-Vigder, 33, had 9-month-old son strapped to her chest as she dropped to ground for cover.
A mother made the ultimate sacrifice for her newborn son as a terror attack unfolded on the streets of Tel Aviv Tuesday night, shielding the 9-month-old with her own body as a hail of gunfire fell upon them.
Inbar Segev-Vigder, 33, was protecting her newborn son, Ari, who was strapped to her body in a carrier as the attack unfolded at the Jaffa neighborhood, according to Fox News. Her heroic actions had left the infant unscathed from the attack.
“She saved his life. There are no words. Only heartbreak,” Israel posted on its X account.
The deceased woman’s husband, Yeari confirmed her death with Ynet News and recalled how he had spoken to her on the phone just minutes before the attack occurred.
“I knew she was on her way home, and when I heard about the shooting, I called her, but she didn’t answer,” he told the news agency. “I started looking for her. She was with our baby, Ari, and our dog. When I reached the scene and found our dog shot, I feared the worst.”
The father said he searched for his son and eventually found him unscathed at nearby Wolfson Medical Center.
He was safe, not a scratch on him, because he was strapped to her in the baby carrier. That’s our miracle,” he said. “After hours of searching, the police came to inform me that she was killed. She was an amazing person, a wonderful mother who gave everything to Ari and to me.”
The slain mother was among the seven people killed and another eight injured during an apparent terror attack as Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel.
The two suspected terrorists had started killing innocent bystanders on the city’s light rail transit system before they continued their rampage on foot along Yerushalayim Street in the southern part of the city, according to ABC News.
A representative for the Israeli Police said that the suspected motive was to inflict an act of terrorism on the city’s streets.
The two suspects were killed by Municipal Security Patrol Officers as well as citizens at the scene who used their personal firearms, according to police.
One of the armed civilians who helped neutralize the two terrorists was a survivor of the Nova Music Festival attack on October 7.
A reservist for the Israel Defense Forces, Lev Kreitman, said he was sitting nearby having a drink when the melee unfolded, according to the Forward. He sprang into action as he heard the gunfire ring out. In eyewitness videos circulating online, Mr. Kreitman can be seen firing his gun at an unseen target.
The terror assault took place just before Iran launched a barrage of 180 ballistic missiles towards multiple targets across Israel. Most of the projectiles were intercepted, but damage was being assessed at several sites where missiles had made an impact.
While several Palestinian militias praised the attack, claiming it was a “natural response” to Israeli forces in Gaza, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.