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'It brings the trauma back': British-Israeli recounts the killing of her friend Kristine Luken as rockets land near home
11 October 2023, 14:48 | Updated: 11 October 2023, 16:04
A British-Israeli woman who survived a murder attempt by Palestinian men who killed her friend has told LBC watching the "atrocities" unfold in Israel in recent days "brings back the trauma".
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Tal Hartuv, 58, was brutally attacked by two men disguised as Israeli police in 2010 while on a hike in the hills of Jerusalem with her Christian-American friend, Kristine Luken.
Ms Hartuv, who was a tour guide at the time, was sitting with Kristine on a nature trail when she saw two men 'move in the bushes'.
One of the men asked Ms Hartuv if she 'had any water' in Hebrew, which she believes was the confirmation the men needed to confirm she was Jewish, and therefore "justifying the attack".
Ms Hartuv and her friend were then attacked by the two men with machetes. Ms Luken let out a "blood-curdling scream" as she was butchered to death, with Ms Hartuv forced to watch.
Miraculously, Ms Hartuv managed to survive. She was left with over 30 broken bones, 13 machete wounds and a near-fatal stab wound in her chest. Moments from death, she managed to escape the forest and was rescued by police.
"At the time, all I could think was 'I'm 46 and I'm being murdered'. It didn't feel real. The only chance I had was to play dead." she told LBC.
During the attack, Ms Hartuv had managed to stab one of the attackers in the genitals, which allowed the police to make two arrests.
Kifah Ghanimat was convicted of the murder of Ms Luken and was sentenced to two life sentences and 60 years behind bars.
'It brings back the trauma'
After the attack, Ms Hartuv was left "critically injured", unable to do anything for several years without help.
Even now, 13 years on, while Ms Hartuv is not in pain everyday, she remains uncomfortable.
But she described the psychological impact of the attack as a "different ball game".
She had therapy, and even wrote a memoir to deal with the trauma of the attack, but three years ago, Ms Hartuv legally changed her name as she decided she no longer wanted to be defined by the attack.
"I wanted a new space, I wanted to go back to the things I loved to do. I didn't want to just be known for being in a terror attack," she said.
But in a time of "deep, deep crisis" for the people of Israel, Ms Hartuv no longer feels she can remain silent, as she watches on at the "atrocities" carried out by Hamas.
Even today, Ms Hartuv, who is based in Mevasseret Zion, just outside of Jerusalem, was worried about rockets raining down on her community, as happened four days ago.
The sound of the siren not only "scared the living daylight" out of Ms Hartuv as it rang out four days ago, but it reminded her of the "utter helplessness" she felt when she was "at the mercy of knife-wielding terrorists" 13 years ago.
"It's the same thing, on a community level, every time rockets come down...we're at the mercy. We can't do anything," she said.
"The rocket attacks and savagery bring it back for me. Nowhere in Israel feels safe."
For Ms Hartuv, it is not about hating or ostracising Palestinian people, it is about making sure Hamas are 'wiped out' - a sentiment that has been expressed by the Israeli government following the 'massacre' of babies and children.
"When they were murdering us, they didn't shout out 'Free Palestine', they shouted 'Slaughter the Jews'...it was a Muslim surgeon who saved my life," she added.
"I know what it's like to be a victim, but I've never taken out vengeance on innocent people."
