Advanced Staff Sgt. Maj. Zidan Saif, 30, died in hospital Tuesday night, succumbing to critical injuries to his head suffered during a shootout with the terrorists who carried out Tuesday's synagogue attack in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem. Saif is the fifth fatality in the attack. He was among the first two police officers to arrive at the scene of the slaughter, and one of three policemen credited with quelling the attack and preventing further injuries and death. He and another traffic officer arrived first, followed by a forensics officer. The two traffic officers approached the entrance to the synagogue and carried out a gun battle with the two terrorists. Professor Avi Rivkind, the director of the Trauma Unit at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital told Israel Hayom that "the police officer was in critical condition, he was sedated and on a respirator in the neurosurgical intensive care unit." Upon hearing of his injuries, Saif's friends and family gathered at his family home in Yanuh-Jat to pray for his health. Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Moafaq Tarif said that many Druze serve in the security forces and work on a daily basis to eliminate terror risks and to protect the country. "We are proud of our sons who fearlessly fight against terror attacks," he said. "It is a black day for Israeli society and the state of Israel when citizens are murdered for being Jewish. The Druze people condemn this disgusting act of terror in which Palestinian terrorists slaughtered and massacred innocent citizens. We cannot allow the citizens of this country to be murdered on a daily basis." Saif was recruited to the police force in April 2011, and served as a traffic officer in Jerusalem. The Israel police said in a statement that "Saif risked his life to save the lives of others." Saif is survived by his wife, their four-month-old daughter, his five siblings and his parents. He will be laid to rest on Tuesday. The forensics officer who arrived at the scene of the attack shortly after Saif recalled what he saw when he got there: "When I got closer to the building, I saw two police officers on the staircase. "I asked what happened and then I heard gun shots. I got close to the wall and looked up, and I saw six windows. We were afraid of being shot through the windows, so we took cover behind a vehicle. We continued to hear gunfire. "At that point I realized that if I kept standing outside, they will keep murdering Jews inside. I started to move. At the entrance to the building, the police officer standing beside me was shot in the leg and fell to the ground. I understood that I was within the range of fire for the terrorists. "I was very focused, I pointed my gun at the staircase and I saw two young men running towards us. One was holding a gun and a big butcher's knife and the other was holding a big knife covered in blood. They were about five or seven meters away and I knew it was either them or me. I shot the first one and he collapsed. Then I shot the second one and he collapsed." Several police officers continued to shoot at the terrorists until it was certain that they were dead. The officers then carefully entered the synagogue and searched the premises for more terrorists. The forensics officer described the scene of the attack: "When I got inside, I saw a lot of blood and many haredi men on the floor. It was a massacre."
