An 8-year-old boy and a 10-year-old boy were killed in road accidents on Wednesday during Yom Kippur, when cars traditionally remain off Israeli roads.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFA boy rides his bike on the empty Ayalon highway on Yom Kippur(photo credit: REUTERS)
Two children were killed in central Israel on Wednesday during Yom Kippur when they were hit by a car and motorcycle while riding bicycles, Channel 12 reported.The 10-year-old boy was riding on Route 443, just outside of the Ben-Shemen Youth Village in central Israel, according to Channel 12.“On the highway, the boy lay unconscious, without a pulse and out of breath when suffering from a severe head injury,” a Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedic said. “Citizens who were on-site provided him with medical treatment and performed basic CPR training under the guidance of the MDA hotline. We continued medical care and performed advanced CPR operations. We evacuated him in critical condition to the hospital, where they determined he was deceased.”An 8-year-old boy was also hit on Namir Road in Tel Aviv. He was pronounced dead at Ichilov Hospital.In Israel, the roads are often empty during Yom Kippur, when Jews traditionally fast and pray to atone for their sins. While it is not illegal to drive on Yom Kippur, most Jewish-Israelis avoid doing so as part of this tradition. As a result, people often ride bikes or walk on streets and highways that are filled with vehicles on normal days.MDA paramedics were called to handle 2,491 events nationwide during the holiday, Channel 12 reported, including calls from people who became ill due to the traditional Yom Kippur fast and those who had minor injuries from biking, rollerskating, skateboarding and other road activities.