Eight members of the Leibowitz family were returning home from a bar mitzva celebration in Jerusalem. The terrorist first fired at the driver, then sprayed the rear window. 7-year-old Noam Leibowitz, was fatally wounded. Her sister, Shira, who celebrated her third birthday that day, was seriously wounded. Noam's 11-year-old brother Moshe and 70-year-old grandfather sustained light injuries.

  The terrorists then returned through the tangle of steel in the sewage canal, which lies under an 8m-high security wall, into the relative safety of Qalqilya, and disappeared. This was the first terrorist shooting on the Trans-Israel Highway.

  Noam's father Shlomo spoke at the funeral of the enormous hole her death has left, of her joyfulness and her ready smiles. He related that on the way home from the bar mitzva Tuesday night, Noam had sung a song from the 2nd grade graduation party she was missing because of the trip to Jerusalem. "When I asked her why she was singing, she replied that when she sang, the other children always sang louder," he said. Noam's mother said, "Noam always took care of Shira. Now who will take care of Noam?"

  Noam was buried in Moshav Nir Etzion cemetery. She is survived by her parents, Shlomo and Galit, her brother, two sisters, and grandparents, Miriam and Shmuel Eliad.

A Poem by Noam Leibowitz

I think every butterfly has a flower to guard.

Sometimes I think that I am a happy, little butterfly and my job is to make everyone happy

– my parents, my sisters, my brother and my friends.

But it’s very hard for the butterfly to leave its flower. Could Hashem let him stay longer and keep his friend and those he loves happy?

If not, then the butterfly will listen from above and maybe come to visit. What happens when the butterfly goes to heaven?

The happy butterfly goes to heaven to make Hashem happy…”

Source:  Save Israel Campaign

  More information concerning the killing of Noam Leibowitz: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Noam's Killers Captured

  Agents of Israel's security service, Shin Bet, aided by IDF troops captured three members of the Islamic Jihad cell which carried out the murderous attack on the Trans-Israel highway.

  But three other members of the cell, including the leader of the cell who opened fire on the car have still not be caught.

  The terrorist cell used a cafe and mosque in Qalkilya to plan the attack and distribute weapons and money, funneled from abroad, security sources said.

  Security sources revealed Tuesday that two weeks ago IDF forces nabbed two members of the cell, Mohammed Sharim, 20 and Ibrahim Atia, 18, both recent high school graduates. Their names were known following the interrogation of Omar Shubeki, 21, who was arrested on August 28.

  The other cell members who have yet to be captured were identified as Tarek Hassin, 25, the cell leader and the one who pulled the trigger, Samah Shubeki, 23, and Mohammed Atia, 19, who was armed with a pistol and guarded Hassin during the attack.

  The six would meet at the Al-Aula Caf? in Qalkilya where details of the attack were drawn up, security sources said. They also met to conspire at the Qalkilya Country Club pool, where Atia worked. Hassin told them all that "zero hour had come" and that it was easy to infiltrate through the culvert.

  On the evening of the attack, Samah and Omar Shubeki forced an opening in the culvert and they all rendezvoused at the Old Qalkilya Mosque after prayers and set out for the ambush, security sources said.

  "The cell used a mosque, a holy site meant for worship, and other innocent meeting places as a cover for hostile terrorist actions," said a security official.

  Meanwhile, the IDF on Tuesday demolished the home of the Islamic Jihad terrorist who carried out the Rosh Hashana attack that killed two Israelis, including a seven-month-old baby.

  The forces arrived during the night early Tuesday and destroyed the house where Mahmoud Hamdan lived in the small village of Khirbet Atabkah in the Hebron district. There were no reports of any opposition to the action, which the army said was a warning to all those who carryout or aid terrorist attacks on Israelis. IDF reservists shot dead Hamdan in the September 25 attack.

  Earlier in Jenin, a Golani reconnaissance unit succeeded in apprehending Omar Mahmoud Mohammed al-Muhsan, a Tanzim activist. Military sources said that al-Muhsan was about to carryout an attack shortly. He tried to flee the forces by crawling on the roof of his house, but was caught.

  The Golani troops, who have been in action inside Jenin for the past two weeks, also nabbed a HAMAS fugitive.

  In the Gaza Strip, an IDF patrol set off a road-side charge as it was patrolling around the settlement of Netzer Hazani in Gush Katif. There were no reported injuries.