SYDNEY (VINnews) — A bystander who was critically wounded while intervening in the deadly Bondi terror attack will be flown to Israel for urgent specialist treatment, according to Sky News.

Gefen Bitton, a 30-year-old Israeli national, was shot multiple times after rushing to help another man who confronted and disarmed the attacker. Bitton has been hospitalized in Sydney in serious condition since the assault and is now stable enough to be transferred overseas for further care.

His family said he will be medically evacuated under the supervision of Jewish emergency service Hatzolah and taken to Sheba Medical Center in Israel, where he will continue treatment in intensive care.

“For weeks we have stood by Gefen as he fought for his life,” the family said in a statement cited by Sky News. “We are grateful that he is now strong enough to continue his recovery in Israel.”

Australian authorities recently granted Bitton permanent residency in recognition of his actions during the attack. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns visited him in hospital to inform him of the decision and express their support, his family said.

Bitton had been living and working in Australia on a temporary visa before the attack.

A fundraising campaign established to support his medical treatment and long-term rehabilitation has raised more than $700,000, organizers said.

Medical teams in Sydney and Israel coordinated the transfer, and Bitton’s family thanked Australia’s Jewish community and the wider public for their support as he begins what doctors describe as a lengthy recovery process.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/gefen-our-hero-of-bondi

Jooish News

Jooish News