Yaniv and Sharon Ben-Shalom, residents of the settlement of Ofarim, and Sharon's brother Doron Severi, were killed and the Ben-Shalom's two infants were wounded, when Palestinians fired on their car on Road No. 443, the Jerusalem-Modiin Highway, late last night.

The shooting attack occurred at about 10 p.m., when the Ben-Shalom family was traveling from Jerusalem in the direction of their home. Doron Severi, brother of Sharon, drove the vehicle and Yaniv was seated next to him in the front of the car. Palestinian snipers reportedly opened fire at the car at close range. Yaniv, 27, and Sharon, 26, were killed and their two infant daughters, 6 months and 2 years old, were lightly injured. Severi reportedly suffered a bullet wound in the head and died of his wounds Sunday evening.

The fatal shots were reportedly fired from the village of Ur el Tahtah, not far from the army roadblock at Maccabim, and the IDF immediately declared a curfew on the surrounding villages.

Police initially said the terrorists fired either from an ambush at the side of the road or from a passing vehicle. Maariv reported that security forces did find the spot from which the Palestinians fired, on the northern side of the highway near the Dor Energy gas station. There they reportedly discovered a number of empty shells from Kalashnikov rifles.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, affiliated with Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Road No. 443, from Modiin to the Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood of northern Jerusalem, has been the scene of numerous shooting attacks since the start of the Intifada. The IDF has positioned forces at a number of points alongside the highway. According to Yediot Aharonot, the IDF presence on the road has been reduced due to a reduction in the number of shooting incidents lately.

© 2001 Koret Communications Ltd. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.