Israeli Police Officer Killed in Terror Attack Near Tel Aviv Laid to Rest

Israel Police officer Amir Khoury, one of the victims of Tuesday's terror attack near Tel Aviv, is being laid to rest Thursday in his town of Nof Hagalil, in Israel's north, in a burial attended by hundreds of people.

The 32-year-old Khoury, a Christian Arab, was called to the scene in Bnei Brak and was killed as he charged and killed the Palestinian assailant.

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Priests, police officers, and family members attended the church service and graveside service for Khoury, as well as Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev and other ministers. Among the people at the burial service are ultra-Orthodox Jews from Bnei Brak.

At the cemetery, a rabbi delivered remarks written by the chief rabbi of Bnei Brak, who said that everyone in the city knows of Khoury's dedication: "We are parting with you, but we are certain that your memory will be written in the record of Israel. I ask for your pardon and forgiveness; go in peace and rest in peace."

Khoury's father Jeries also spoke: "Your virtue is spoken of throughout the country," he said, detailing how his son, after finishing his first year of medical studies, decided to become a police officer.

"A few years ago, you met a nice girl from work. You wanted to get married. A month ago, you bought her an apartment," he recounted. "You told me on Sunday that you signed a mortage, and that on Tuesday you're coming back. You came back a day early. But you came back a day early.

"People came here from Acre, Beit Shemesh, Rechovot, Bnei Brak," he said. "Everyone told me they came to embrace us and to pay respects."

The attack claimed the lives of four others: Avishai Yehezkel, a 29-year-old father of one, Yaakov Shalom, 36, father of five, and two Ukrainian immigrants, aged 24 and 33.

On Wednesday, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai spoke with Khoury's family and told them that their son had "saved the lives of many civilians," calling him "a hero."

The attack - the third such incident in a week – prompted Israel to declare the highest alert level since the fighting with Gaza last year.