The victims and the heroes

From the Jerusalem Post:

Victor Erez, 60, a resident of Givatayim, died while expecting his sixth grandchild. As a soldier in the Six Day War, Erez lost his leg while serving within the Golani Brigade.

He was laid to rest at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday in the Yarkon Funeral Home.

Holon resident David Shaulov, 29, was expecting his third son when he was killed. His wife Varda, who was in her ninth month of pregnancy, arrived on Monday at Lis Hospital in Tel Aviv after the couple felt that she was due.

Just as she entered the obstetric department she received a message that her husband had been killed while going out for lunch.

He was laid to rest at 11:00 a.m. in a funeral home in Holon.

He had 2 daughters in addition to a large family. His friend Zach said he saw him make aliyah to Israel and that he never complained about the hardship.

Lod resident Binyamin Hafuta, 47, was the security guard on duty at the time of the attack. He requested to check the terrorist's bag and as his metal detector sounded off, the explosives in the bag detonated.

He prevented an even larger tragedy from occurring by absorbing the explosion with his body.

Hafuta began working as a security guard at the Falafel Rosh Ha'ir three months ago, just after the previous terror attack at the falafel stand. Those close to him said he thought the chances of a terror attack occurring at the same place twice were impossible.

His sister-in-law, Suzi, said that after hearing that Hafuta protected others from the blast with his body, she understood that "even in his death he cared for everyone."

She added that he was eagerly anticipating the post-Passover ritual of Mimuna.

A friend of his described Biyamin as trustworthy, happy and full of life, and added that he will be sorely missed.

He was laid to rest in the new funeral home in Lod at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Army Radio reported.

Ashdod resident Phillip Belachson, 45, had taken a day off from work and was on an excursion with his two children to purchase gifts for Passover when the blast occurred. As he felt the explosion, Phillip took his children into his arms and protected his children with his body.

His daughter Lital said, "He was the best person in the world."

"As he fell on the floor he told my brothers not to worry, I am in pain but don't worry," she continued.

"I had the best father in the world - he was pure, and had never done anything bad to anyone," she said. "Even in his death he protected his children by absorbing the shrapnel."

Phillip Belachson was laid to rest at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday in a funeral home in Ashdod.

A resident of the Oranit community, 43 year-old Lily Yunis arrived in Tel Aviv from her home in order to purchase goods for the store that she and two of her daughters were opening.

As she drove into Tel Aviv with her husband and children, her son Tzach said he was hungry and the family decided to stop and find a place to eat. Lily stepped out of the family car with her son just as the bomb exploded.

Her husband Menachem looked for her for hours, but only found out she was dead much later in Abu Kabir.

A friend of Lily's said, "Words cannot describe the kind of mother she was - she was a jewel."

"She never asked for anything and put everybody before her," she continued.

Lily Yunis was laid to rest at the Yarkon funeral home on Tuesday.

Bat Yam resident Ariel Darchi, 31, was laid to rest on Tuesday.

Buda Pirushka, 50, and Rosalia Basnia, 48, were foreign workers from Romania. The details of their funerals were not released.

The name of the ninth victim was not available for publish.