Rima Novikov Kukoi
Feb 27, 2004 - Rima Novikov Kukoi, 25, and her husband, Eitan, 30, of Livna-Shani were murdered by terrorists who ambushed their car on the Lahav-Ashkelon road, along the Green Line.
Shortly befofre 8 p.m. on Friday evening, as Rima Novikov and her husband were on their way to a party in Ashdod, the terrorists opened fire from the side of the road. They then approached the vehicle after it stopped and fired another burst of bullets from point-blank range, to ensure their victims were dead. The PFLP and the Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades both claimed responsibility for the attack.
Rima Novikov immigrated from Russia seven years ago. She met her husband in Beersheba and they married three years ago. Rima was about to complete a degree in public administration and policy. Following the birth of their daughter, Michele, the couple was planning on having another child.
Instead, Eitan's younger sister, Tal, and her husband Yigal Levine will adopt Michele. Following the attack, Tal and her husband, who also lived on Livna-Shani, decided to leave the settlement. "The terrorists achieved what they wanted," she said. "They both murdered our family and succeeded in driving us out."
Rima Novikov Kukoi was buried with her husband in Beersheba. She is survived by her two-year-old daughter Michele.
Note: An email message being circulated in the name of the "teenage Michele Kukoi" is bogus. Michele is currently 7 or 8 years old.