Among the three police officers shot by Arab terrorists on Monday morning in an ambush south of Hevron was 39-year-old Yehoshua “Shuki” Sofer, who was slain.

Anna, the wife of policeman Yoav Dahan who was wounded in the attack, reported that Sofer was to have been married a few weeks from now. “He was a wonderful man, a good soul, he loved to help,” she said. “He was supposed to get married in two months and he was so excited – and now instead of a wedding, he was murdered.”

A friend of Sofer's from the police force echoed her sentiments. “In two months, Shuki was supposed to marry the woman he loved, and now we have to arrange a funeral instead of a wedding,” he said.

Regional police commander Itzik Rachamim described Sofer as “a brave, beloved officer.” Sofer had worked in the Hevron region for 14 years, and had lately been working in Rachamim's office.

Officer Mordechai Ganon was also badly wounded in the incident, and is now in moderate condition. Ganon, who was shot in his stomach and chest, said he feels “fine” and hopes to return to work quickly. “I wasn't afraid... What was hard was seeing [the terrorists] but being unable to respond,” he said of the attack. 

The officers were shot as they patrolled in a van. Ganon praised the driver for his response, saying that despite his own injuries, the driver managed to escape the terrorist ambush.