Gal Shilon

July 16, 2002 - Gal Shilon, 32, of Emmanuel, was one of nine people killed in a terrorist attack on Dan bus no. 189 traveling from Bnei Brak to Emmanuel in Samaria.

A Palestinian terrorist cell, apparently dressed in IDF uniforms, ambushed a bus from Bnei Brak a few hundred meters from the entrance to Emmanuel. Shortly after 3:00 P.M. two 20-kilo bombs were set off about 200 meters from the town's entrance, damaging the bus's front tires and forcing it off the road.

The explosion damaged the bus doors, trapping the passengers inside. The terrorists then started to shoot at the bus, firing through the unprotected roof and throwing grenades through the narrow upper windows, which are not armored.

Gal Shilon's wife Ayelet and their three children were returning home by bus from her parents' home in Givatayim. Her mother, Zilpa Kashi, accompanied them to help with the infant twins. Sarah Tiferet, aged 8 months, and her grandmother were killed; her mother and brother were injured. When the attack began, Ayelet Shilon phoned her husband, Gal, who was at home in Emmanuel. He rushed to their aid and was killed by gunfire.

Gal, the second of four children, graduated from the Holtz high school in Holon and served in the air force. After completing his service, he studied business management and took out a civil pilot license. He worked for a some time for a Canadian airline. After surviving an attack of vertigo, he returned to Israel and became religiously observant. He met and married Ayelet three years ago, and they settled in Emmanuel about a year ago. Gal attended classes in the community. His wife Ayele

Gal Shilon was buried in the Yarkon cemetery in Tel-Aviv. He is survived by his parents, Ya'akov and Silvia, two sisters - Revital (34) and Keren (30), his wife Ayelet, his son, Or Hayim (2), and daughter Galia Esther (8 months). His younger brother, Nimrod, died 10 years ago from an illness.