Ayala Abukasis

Ayala Chaya Abukasis (1987 - 21 January 2005) was one of the first victims of Palestinian Qassam rockets.

The attack, which left her critically injured and brain dead, took place on January 15, 2005 around 18:30 (6:30 PM).

Ayala, her parents and siblings, were visiting her grandmother to celebrate the birthday of another granddaughter. She then went to a Bnei Akiva youth gathering, together with her 10-year old brother Tamir Yaakov. They were walking down Rechov Yerushalaim (Jerusalem Street) in her home town of Sderot from the Bnei Akiva gathering, about 100 meters from the family's home, when the Red Dawn Qassam alert system sounded, indicating a Qassam rocket was on the way. Her older brother and a friend who was with her managed to run away and find shelter in the 20 seconds of warning time the Red Dawn system gives. 17-year old Ayala and her 10-year old brother Tamir did not manage to flee. Ayala then threw herself on Tamir to protect him. The Qassam rocket hit immediately after, just next to Ayala and Tamir. Ayala was severely injured by shrapnel which penetrated her brain. She was transported in extremely critical condition to Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva, where she was declared brain dead.

The name Chaya, which means 'living', was added to her name at the advice of rabbis, hoping that it would help her recover, based on Jewish tradition which says that changing the name of a critically ill person may help them recover.

Thousands of people all over Israel and the rest of the world prayed for her recovery and large prayer gatherings were held at the Kotel (Western Wall), but to no avail.

On January 21, the family decided together with doctors and rabbis, including Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi Shlomo Amar and Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Halperin, expert on medical halacha, to end the life support measures which kept her body functioning. At 9 AM, she was declared dead.

The attack was claimed by Hamas, which praised the terrorists involved for their 'heroic act' in which a 'Zionist settler' was killed.

Ayala was buried in Sderot and leaves behind her parents Yonatan and Sima, brothers Ran and Tamir, and her sister Keren.

Shortly before her death, Ayala had written the following note, which her father Yehonatan read at her funeral: "Sometimes we tend to forget that life will be over one day, and we don't know when that day will come, and praise is always voiced too late, so in order for that not to happen, I've chosen to tell you what a wonderful person you are. Tell people that you love them and care about them."

Ayala was the last Israeli victim before Mahmoud Abbas and Ariel Sharon agreed on a ceasefire, which however did not last for a single day.

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