One minute 24-year-old Avital Afjin was sitting with her baby daughter in the Kupat Holim Clalit medical clinic in Ashkelon's busy Chutzot Mall. The next moment, the world was a nightmare.
"I opened my eyes and saw only darkness," related the young mother as she described the aftermath of last week's Grad missile attack. Avital described how she managed to pull two-year-old Tair from the rubble of the clinic, covered in blood and looking "half human."
One must always say 'Thank you'... The Holy One, Blessed in He, saved me from death and gave my daughter and I our lives as a gift.
Both Avital and Tair suffered serious head wounds in the attack. They were air-lifted from Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon to Tel HaShomer Hospital in Tel Aviv, where doctors battled to save Tair's life.
The doctor who was on-call at the time was also severely wounded, suffering facial injuries. She remains at Barzilai Hospital, along with a fourth critically injured person, who suffered severe stomach wounds.
Nearly 100 people were hurt when the Iranian-made missile slammed into the top floor of the mall where the clinic was located, and then crashed through the floor below. Most people suffered severe trauma reactions and light wounds in the attack.
'Pray for My Daughter's Health'
Avital expressed gratitude after surviving the near-fatal attack, saying, "One must always say 'Thank you'… The Holy One, Blessed is He, saved me from death and gave my daughter and I our lives as a gift."
The toddler is now in serious but stable condition and faces a series of operations in which doctors hope to be able to save both her legs and remove the shrapnel that still remains in her head.
Avital has asked the public to pray for her daughter's health, particularly on Monday when she will undergo an especially critical operation.
Her Hebrew name is Tair bat Avital.