Palestinian Given Israeli Suicide Bomb Victim's Kidneys

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian woman received the kidneys of an Israeli victim of a suicide attack in a transplant operation Thursday.


The victim, Zeev Vidor, died of his wounds a week after the attack by a Palestinian suicide bomber at a hotel in the seaside resort of Netanya as Israelis sat down for a traditional feast at the start of the Jewish Passover holiday.


His family allowed his organs to be donated and recipients included Aisha Abu Said, 54, who lives in the Jerusalem suburb of Shuafat. The operation was performed in the Beilinson Hospital in the town of Petah Tikvah.


Abu Said's son Khader, a truck driver, said he had not been aware that the organ donor was a victim of a suicide bombing.


"Only today did I learn that my mother benefited from the victim of the Netanya attack. The family deserves better. I hope they think my thanks are sincere," Khader said.


Palestinian militants have killed scores of Israelis in suicide bombings as part of a more than 18-month-old uprising against Israeli occupation. Israel has occupied major West Bank towns in an offensive it says is intended to end the attacks.