Eitan Kukoi

Feb 27, 2004 - Eitan Kukoi, 30, and his wife, Rima Novikov, 25, of Livna-Shani were murdered shortly by terrorists who ambushed their car on the Lahav-Ashkelon road, along the Green Line.

Shortly befofre 8 p.m. on Friday evening, as Eitan Kukoi and his wife Rima were on their way to a party in Ashdod, the terrorists opened fire from the side of the road. They then approached the vehicle after it stopped and fired another burst of bullets from point-blank range, to ensure their victims were dead. The PFLP and the Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades both claimed responsibility for the attack.

Eitan Kukoi immigrated from Russia 13 years ago. He met his wife in Beersheba and they married three years ago. Kukoi completed a degree in industrial management and worked on a kibbutz in the Beersheba area. Following the birth of their daughter, Michelle, the couple was planning on having another child.

Instead, Kukoi's younger sister, Tassia, and her husband will adopt Michelle. Following the attack, Tassia and her husband, who also live on Livna-Shani, decided to leave the settlement. "The terrorists achieved what they wanted," she said. "They both murdered our family and succeeded in driving us out."

Eitan Kukoi was buried with his wife in Beersheba. He is survived by his mother, sister, and two-year-old daughter Michele.