Son of Israel's US Ambassador said to be ‘fighting for his life’ after serious injury in ramming attack

The son of Israel’s U.S. Ambassador is reportedly fighting for his life after undergoing a complex emergency brain surgery overnight due to injuries sustained in the ramming attack on Wednesday.

Neria Leiter, the son of Ambassador Yehiel Leiter, and the brother of Moshe Leiter (39), who was killed in the Gaza Strip in November 2023, was hit by a Palestinian driver at the Maccabim checkpoint near Modi’in.

He was taken to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem, where doctors began treating him for his injuries.

In a statement on Thursday morning, Dr. Alon Schwartz, the head of the hospital’s trauma unit, said Leiter’s life “is still in danger,” even after undergoing the hours-long surgery.

“His condition continues to be severe, a very severe, multi-system head injury. He underwent several surgeries overnight, and now he is in intensive care. His condition has stabilized but is still very serious,” Schwartz told 103FM Radio. “With injuries like this, it is impossible to say that his life is not in danger; we are still fighting for his life, embracing the family, with teams of social workers, psychologists, and hoping that his condition will improve.”

Dr. Schwartz also said that Neria arrived at the hospital unconscious, with multi-system trauma. The most severe injuries were to his head, and he was immediately taken to the operating room to begin work to stabilize his condition.

“Extensive teams, including surgical and intensive care teams, continue to provide Neria with life-saving treatment, while closely accompanying social workers sensitively accompany his family at all times,” the hospital said in a statement early Thursday morning.

Ambassador Leiter was on his way to New York for the UNGA when he received the news of the ramming attack, according to a statement from Tal Naim, spokeswoman for the Israeli embassy in Washington.

Ambassador Leiter departed the U.S. on Wednesday, after receiving the news, and landed in Israel early Thursday morning.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stopped by the hospital to visit the Leiter family before leaving for New York, where he will address the UN General Assembly later today.

Chani Leiter, Neria’s mother, told Army Radio, “It’s impossible to get used to bad news. We're still in shock.”

“Last night, his wife said, ‘I can't believe this is happening to us; it can't be,’” she continued. “After Moshe fell [her oldest son, who died in Gaza], all the sons wanted to serve in the reserves. told them I wasn't sure I could handle it.”

She said that Neria “stepped into the role of the eldest and really held us together; he was amazing and stayed in close, daily contact with all of us.”

Dozens of people gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Wednesday night to pray for Neria’s recovery.

After arriving at the Shaare Zedek Hospital, Ambassador Leiter shared concern he had regarding his son’s condition.

“There was a fear that I would land with no hope.”

Leiter compared the incident to the fall of his eldest son, Moshe, in the Gaza War.

“He [Moshe] died immediately,” Leiter explained, saying in that occurrence, there was no possibility of bringing his son to the hospital, gathering around his bed, or calling the public to pray for his son.

Ambassador Leiter also shared that on his way to Israel, he received a flood of messages from synagogues and Christian churches around the world, informing him that millions of people are praying for Neria's recovery.

He also shared that his eldest daughter, who had come to visit Neria, gave birth while in the hospital.

“Her water broke when she heard the news, two weeks before the due date,” Leiter said, noting that “she is lying 40 meters away from her brother in the ICU.”

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