Sergeant Asil Sawaed, a 22-year-old Israel-Muslim Border Patrol soldier, was killed by a knife-wielding terrorist in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat. His Bedouin family, who has a decades-long history of proud service to their country, told reporters they are having trouble “digesting the bitter news about a young man who loved his military service very much.”
His commanders spoke of "a warrior who saw his service in the patrol as a mission for the security of the country", and the head of the unit eulogized him: "a brave warrior who fought for his position in the patrol".
Israeli soldier succumbs to wounds sustained in Jerusalem attack - 22-year-old Staff Sgt. Asil Sawaed was stabbed at a checkpoint to Shuafat in the eastern part of the Israeli capital. https://t.co/e6WmjebkJm https://t.co/O1buW2yeYH
— Eye On Antisemitism (@AntisemitismEye) February 14, 2023
Sawaed, a resident of the Bedouin village of Husniyah in Galilee, was stabbed by a 13-year-old Palestinian terrorist during a security check he carried out together with a civilian security guard on a bus at a checkpoint in Jerusalem. After the terrorist pulled out a knife and stabbed Sawaed, the security guard shot at the terrorist in order to neutralize the active threat, and likely hit Sawaed as well. The terrorist was arrested and Sawaed was evacuated in critical condition for medical treatment at Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital, where he later died of his wounds.
Adal Sawaed, a relative of the fallen Asil told reporters about the deep-rooted family connection to the IDF and Israel. "He is a distant relative of the late Omar, who was kidnapped at the time in the Mount Dov area by Hezbollah along with his comrades. This is a severe blow to the family, the loss of a smiling young man. He always helped, assisted, and volunteered to help with each and every mission in his service. He was in non-compulsory conscription, volunteered, and served for seven months in permanent service. He really liked the military service, despite all the risks."
Israel remembers Staff Sgt. Asil Sawaed, age 22, who succumbed to his wounds after responding to a terrorist attack carried out by a 13 year old Palestinian. May his memory be a blessing. Our thoughts go out to his loved ones. pic.twitter.com/onacBSKovs
— Israel in SF (@IsraelinSF) February 14, 2023
The police, which controls Israel’s border patrol unit, said after Sawaed's death that "at the end of his mandatory service he fought to sign for a permanent position in that same position". His friends in the company say that Sawaed, who was survived by his parents and six siblings, was "the happiest person, always helped and assisted everyone, always engaged in every task and loved the service for the security of the country."
The Israeli Police’s Chief Commissioner, Yaakov Shabtai, arrived Monday night at the scene of the attack at the Shuafat checkpoint, where he received an overview from the commander of the Jerusalem District, Superintendent Doron Turgeman, and the Commander of the Border Guard, Superintendent Amir Cohen.
