A teenage girl was murdered Thursday morning in Kiryat Arba, Israel, when a terrorist broke into her home and stabbed her dozens of times as she lay in bed.
Officials reported that the terrorist broke into a home and repeatedly stabbed 13-year old, Hallel-Yaffa Ariel, in her bedroom. When the town’s security team was called to respond to the attack, the terrorist attacked and wounded a member of the local security squad. The terrorist was then shot and killed by the first responders.
Yael Kabiliv, the aunt of the young girl, spoke with journalists in the Shaarei Tzedek hospital, following news that Hallel-Yaffa Ariel had succumbed to her injuries.
“A truly wonderful girl was murdered today – Hallel-Yaffa bat Rina Devorah. Hallel, my niece, was the most amazing girl in the world.”
“She had slept in late after having danced in a performance the night before. [Then], a disgusting terrorist came in and killed her while she slept in her bed.”
“We’re all in mourning and in terrible pain. It’s hard for us to grasp what happened.”
“They have the courage to just go into our homes – we have to have the courage to go into the Temple Mount, without fear, and say ‘this is our place’. Then no terrorist will dare set foot in our homes.”
“She was an incredible girl. There are no others like her. Smart, well behaved, beautiful.”
“It’s a terrible loss for everyone here.”.
Hallel’s father spoke of his gifted girl’s dreams of becoming a dancer.
“Last night she came back from a dance performance,” Amichai Ariel recounted. “She was an amazing girl.”
“She worked very hard for years to become a dancer. She put so much effort into everything she did. God gave her a great mind, lots of wisdom. She was so bright.”
As his wife wept beside him, Amichai said he and his daughter had planned to work together at his local winery.
“This morning at 9:30 we were supposed to work together filling bottles with wine.”
“Hallel loved living here, loved the place,” he continued. “She wasn’t afraid of anyone. She never imagined – nor did anyone else – that an evil person, one of 1.5 billion Muslims who just want to drown the world in rivers of blood. That’s what they live for. Its terrible, just think about it: A little girl who did nothing.”
The second victim, a 31-year old male, has been transferred to Hadassah Ein Karem in Jerusalem, and is in serious condition.
The terrorist has been identified as Muhammad Tararia, a 17-year old resident of the village of Bani Naim.
