Tadesse Teshome Ben Ma’ada, 50, was critically injured when an explosive device was detonated on 23 November by unknown terrorists, who have so far evaded capture.
By Erin Viner
Ben Ma’ada “fought for his life but unfortunately his injuries were too serious,” said a statement from the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, where he had been treated.
Ben Ma’ada, who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia 21 years ago, is survived by his wife and six children. He was laid to rest yesterday at the Givat Shaul cemetery in the capital.
The latest casualty of last Wednesday’s twin blasts follows the death of 15-year-old Israeli-Canadian Jewish seminary student Aryeh Schupak, who succumbed to his wounds almost immediately. 25 others were wounded in the first terrorist bombings in Jerusalem since 2016.
According to police, the devices planted at bus stops at the city entrance and the Ramot Junction had been packed with nails to maximize casualties.
Outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid said he was “heartbroken” upon being notified of Ben Ma’ada’s death.
The explosions came as the country’s presumptive next premier Benjamin Netanyahu negotiates with allies to form a new right-wing government. In a message posted on Twitter, the Likud leader praised the medical teams who had treated the victim, adding, “I embrace the family at this difficult hour. May he rest in peace.”
The attacks evoked powerful memory of the bus bombings that were a hallmark of the Second Palestinian Intifada from the year 2000 through 2005.
A spokesman for the Islamist Hamas terror group in Gaza was swift to celebrate the latest attacks, but stopped short of claiming responsibility.
“The Zionist occupation is paying the price today for its crimes and aggression against our people and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and we have warned about this repeatedly,” proclaimed Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua.
The bombings come amid a deadly surge of attacks against Israelis that has now killed 29 people since since the start of the year.