The three Israeli victims of Saturday’s terror attack in Istanbul were identified overnight after their families were notified of the tragedy by authorities.
Yonathan Suher, Simcha Dimri and Avraham Goldman, and an Iranian national were murdered by a suicide bomber Saturday morning on Istiklal Street in the Taksim section of Istanbul. Numerous foreign consulates line the two-kilometer pedestrian strip along with cafes, restaurants and shops.
The three victims were part of a 14-member Israeli culinary tour of the ancient city once known as Constantinople. Their bodies are to be repatriated on Sunday.
The remaining 11 members of the tour were wounded in the attack. Two of the wounded Israelis are critically injured; two are seriously hurt and six are in good condition. Five returned in an overnight flight to Israel via the planes sent on Saturday night by the IDF and Magen David Adom (MDA). Two of the wounded in serious condition are expected to return Sunday afternoon.
An Iranian national was also killed; 28 other people, including three foreign nationals, were wounded in the bombing.
Dimri, 60, was with her husband Avi when she was killed; Avi sustained serious wounds to his legs and lung. Dimri was a retired kindergarten teacher; the family is well-known for their philanthropy and community activism in their home city of Dimona, said Mayor Benny Biton in a statement to media. Dimri is survived by three sons, a daughter and a number of grandchildren.
Two sons, Nadav and Ben, flew to Istanbul with the Magen David Adom plane on Saturday night to be with their father as he recovers in a hospital.
Both Suher, 40, and Goldman, 70 are dual U.S. citizens as well, according to Israeli, U.S. and Turkish officials. Suher, a Tel Aviv resident raised on Kibbutz Shiller, was celebrating his birthday with his wife Inbal, according to a statement from his family. He served in the IDF Military Police Corps and earned a law degree before launching a career in high-tech. His wife was wounded; he is survived by two children.
“We are grateful to the Foreign Ministry and MDA (Magen David Adom) medical teams for the assistance they have given us so far, and we pray for the well-being of Inbal, who was injured in the attack and underwent surgery last night in Turkey,” Suher’s family told media in a statement.
The bomber detonated his explosive at a quiet time, according to one of the injured, leading officials to speculate the attacker either was aiming for the Israelis or was spooked into attacking earlier than planned.
The street is normally busy with numerous shoppers filling restaurants and cafes.
Turkey is extremely tense at this time, after six terror attacks within the past nine months have taken the lives of more than 200 victims.
Saturday’s attack has been added to three others blamed on Da’esh operatives with the ISIS terrorist organization. Two others were blamed on PKK terrorists with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party.