Command Sgt.Maj. Yehoshua (Shuki) Sofer, 39 Jun 14, 2010 - Command Sgt.Maj. Yehoshua (Shuki) Sofer 39, of Beersheba was killed and three policemen wounded when Palestinian terrorists opened fire on their vehicle at Al Fawar Junction south of Hebron on route 60.
The policemen were driving from Beersheba to the Hebron police station at around 7:20 a.m. when their van was attacked as it drove eastbound on Route 60 in the Hebron Hills region. One or more gunmen, apparently standing at the side of the road, opened fire at close range. Two of the policemen were shot in the chest and stomach. Shuki Sofer was critically injured and died of his wounds after reaching the hospital. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad praised the attack.
Shuki had served in the Hebron police sub-district for 14 years. Yosef, his father, said, "He was a kind man, with a big soul, who always helped his friends and family. He was an excellent cop who really loved the police, it was in his soul. It never worried him. We were the ones who were worried and afraid."
Shuki Sofer and Einav Blum had nearly completed all the final details for the wedding, which was to take place on September 20. Their wedding was meant to be the start of a new life for the two in a new, large apartment. "He was going to get married and all the arrangements were made," Shuki''s father said. "He waited a long time to find somebody. He was excited and happy about the wedding." On Monday, Einav was called to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, where she received the bitter news of her fiancé''s death. Sofer''s parents, Dalia and Yosef, escorted Einav back to the family''s home in Beersheba.
Yehushua Sofer was buried in the military section of Beersheba’s old cemetery. He is survived by his parents, three sisters, one of them his twin, and a brother. |
