Widow of car-ramming victim gives birth to boy

The widow of Jedan Assad, a Druze Border Policeman killed in a car-ramming attack in Jerusalem last November, gave birth to a baby boy on Monday.

The newborn will be named for his father, his relatives said. Darin Assad, 35, is also the mother of a 3-year-old son.

“It’s a happy day and a sad one,” Assad’s brother Yehia told Channel 2. “Sad that our new guest didn’t get to meet his father, and vice versa.”

The doctor overseeing the birth, Suhila Ghanam, described the birth as “very emotional,” and unforgettable.

“I’ve been present at thousands of births, and this is one I will always remember. It was a powerful experience, very emotional, happy and sad,” she said. “When I rested the healthy, beautiful baby on his mother’s chest, she cried, and with her, all those present in the room.”

Assad was killed on November 5 when a Palestinian terrorist plunged his car into a crowd at a light rail station in Jerusalem. Police shot and killed the assailant, Ibrahim al-Akary, from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat, after he emerged from the vehicle and began attacking police officers with a metal bar. A dozen other people were injured in the attack.

Thousands attended his funeral in the northern Druze village of Beit Jann.