The two police officers shot dead in an attack at the Temple Mount complex in the Old City on Friday morning were identified as Haiel Sitawe and Kamil Shnaan, both hailing from Druze villages in northern Israel.
Just after 7:00 a.m. on Friday, three attackers opened fire on a group of police officers standing just outside the Temple Mount compound near the Old City’s Lions Gate. Sitawe and Shnaan were hit and seriously wounded. A third officer was struck by shrapnel and suffered light injuries.
Sitawe and Shnaan were treated by medics from the Magen David Adom ambulance service and taken to Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital Mt. Scopus, where they were pronounced dead.
Speaking to the press soon after the attack, Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich said: “This was a tough morning for the police. We have two people killed, officers, who paid the dearest price in this battle.”
Sitawe, 30, hailed from the town of Maghar, a mostly Druze and Arab city in northern Israel.
Shnaan, 22, was from the Druze village of Hurfeish, also in northern Israel.
Sitawe joined the Border Police as part of his mandatory national service. He joined the Israel Police in 2012 and had served in the unit responsible for securing the Temple Mount ever since
He leaves behind a wife, Irin, a three-week-old son, his parents and three brothers.
Shnaan joined the police directly after high school. He decided to stay on the police force seven months ago, signing on as a career officer.
He was the youngest son of a former Labour Party Knesset member, Shachiv Shnaan. His engagement party to his girlfriend was to be held next week...
