Scene of Damascus Gate stabbing attack
Scene of Damascus Gate stabbing attackIsrael Police spokesperson

The condition of Gavriel Lavi, who was seriously wounded in the stabbing attack near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem last Friday, has been improving over the past 24 hours.

His wife Nili said on Monday that Gavriel is no longer sedated and does not need a respirator. "We're seeing incredible progress, it was a real miracle," she said.

The family's friend, Tova Azizian, arrived at the hospital on Monday and recalled how she arrived at the scene of the attack seconds after the stabbing.

"I was walking to the Western Wall from the Damascus Gate and then I heard shouts and saw Arabs running away. Then I heard someone shouting and then I saw a yeshiva student lying on the sidewalk. I saw a lot of blood on the ground and I did not know what to do. I called the police and told them that I saw a dead person on the sidewalk," Azizian said.

"I told them, 'Come quickly'. I was very frightened. Even after the police arrived, I did not know who it was. After that I tried to find out who the man I was and told me it was Gavriel Lavi. When I spoke with my husband, he said that he was a student from his yeshiva."