Son of Neveh Tzuf terror victim recounts how father's warning saved his life

"We got into the car, Dad was sitting in the second row drying off, and I was in the front passenger seat. Suddenly, he shouted to me, 'Yoav, there’s a terrorist here,'" Chkroun told KAN News.

Terror victim Netanel Chkroun saved his son's life by warning him of the terrorist's presence at Neveh Tzuf, 16-year-old Yoav Chkroun told KAN News on Tuesday.

"We got into the car, Dad was sitting in the second row drying off, and I was in the front passenger seat. Suddenly, he shouted to me, 'Yoav, there’s a terrorist here,' or 'Yoav, it’s an attack' - something along the lines of 'Run!'"

Yoav said that he hadn't realized a terror attack was in progress until his father shouted at him. By the time he realized, the terrorist was only a few centimeters away, right outside the car door.

"He opened fire toward Dad, during which time I passed between the driver's side seats, opened the door, and ran away," he said. "The terrorist kept shooting at me while I was running to hide between the bushes on the other side of the road."

Yoav remained in hiding until after military forces arrived at the scene.

"It was a very difficult and special Yom Kippur," he said. "Suddenly you understand the true meaning of 'The Day of Judgment.'"

During Netanel's funeral, Yoav thanked his father for saving his life.

"Thank you, Dad, for what you told me and for saving me," he said.

Terror victim had been at Neveh Tzuf for immersion ahead of Yom Kippur

Netanel was a father of six and worked as an information systems analyst at Hachshara Insurance Company, the Samaria Regional Council said. His wife, Dr. Merav Chkroun, is a lecturer at Ariel University.

He had arrived at Neveh Tzuf to immerse himself alongside Yoav, his eldest son, an 11th-grade student. His youngest child is four years old.

"[He was] a man of kindness, humility, and love for his fellow man, murdered just after finishing his immersion with his son ahead of Yom Kippur," said council head Yossi Dagan. "These barbarians will never break us; we will build up our land even further."

James Genn and Miriam Sela-Eitam contributed to this report.