Ambassador Leiter's son breathing on his own, still in coma

(Oct. 18, 2026 / JNS)

Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said in an interview with CNN on Friday that his son Neriya is breathing on his own but remains in a deep coma after a Palestinian car-ramming attack last month.

“We’ve reached that point where he’s not on a ventilator anymore or a respirator,” Leiter said. “We’re very hopeful that he’ll be able to make a recovery, but the injury is very severe.”

Leiter said the terrorist drove into Neriya at roughly 80 to 90 kilometers per hour (50 to 55 miles per hour) and that his son’s head was slammed into a cement block.

He underwent about eight hours of brain surgery, the ambassador said.

“Right now, he’s still in a deep coma,” Leiter said. The family is “surrounding him 24/7 with love and prayers,” he added.