Three days after the deadly series of attacks in the south of thecountry that left eight Israelis dead, authorities have finally identified theeighth and last victim, 56-year-old Yitzhak Sela of Beersheva, an Egged driver who waskilled instantly when a suicide bomber blew himself up next to Sela’s empty buson Thursday.
Due to the many attacks on Thursday that stretched rescueresources incredibly thin and the condition of Sela’s body, his identity wasonly confirmed on Sunday afternoon. He was buried in Beersheva on Sundayevening.
Sela had worked for Egged for 26 years. The father of four, Selaalso leaves behind three grandchildren.
Sela was driving an empty bus towards Eilat in order to retrievepassengers taking the 397 bus from Eilat to Beer Sheva. A suicide bomber blewhimself up next to the front end of the bus, killing Sela immediately andengulfing the bus in flames. The bus exploded and flew into the air, and its charredskeleton came to rest dozens of meters away from the site of the explosion.
Friends told Channel 2 that Sela had often volunteered for some ofthe more dangerous routes, including driving around the border with Gaza andsouth of Hebron.
“Itzhak was one of the drivers most outstanding and esteemeddrivers in the Egged branch in Beer Sheva and his loss is a strong blow to allof his friends from work and to all who know him, including all the regularriders on the southern lines,” said Avi Friedman, the head of Egged’s southernbranch.