Sgt Nir Haftzadi

Dec 1, 2001 - Sgt. Nir Haftzadi, 19, of Jerusalem, was one of 11 young people killed on Saturday night at the Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall in the center of Jerusalem.

At about 11:30 P.M., two suicide bombers detonated explosive devices on Ben Yehuda Street, the pedestrian mall frequented by many young people on Saturday night. A car bomb exploded nearby 20 minutes later. In addition to the 11 people killed, about 180 were injured in the terrorist attack.

Nir, a soldier in the Armored Corps, attended the Gilo Comprehensive school and did a post-matriculation year before beginning his army service. He was an avid fan of the Betar Jerusalem soccer club.

On leave from the army, he went with friends on Saturday night to the Ben Yehuda mall, where he and his friend Moshe Yedid-Levy were killed.

Sgt. Nir Haftzadi was buried the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, where his grandfather, killed by a Jordanian sniper in the War of Independence, is also buried. The youngest in his family, Nir is survived by his parents, Moti and Lili, his older brother Moshe (29), and two sisters, Sima (28) and Hanit (25).