The father of Khaled Mahamra, one of the two terrorists responsible for the shooting attack June 8 in Tel Aviv, can’t understand how his son was able to hide his plans. Khaled was a student at the Faculty of Engineering at Mutah University in Jordan. He was supposed to return there this summer to complete his studies. He was the eldest child, and his family had pinned high hopes on him. They had expected him to help support the family once he obtained his coveted degree. But instead of providing them with financial assistance, Khaled Mahamra, once the pride of his family, could be the reason why their home in Yatta will be demolished.

In an interview with Al-Monitor the day after the attack, Khaled's father, Ahmad, said that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) forces had not yet been to his home (at the time of this interview, the IDF had already raided the home of the other terrorist, Mohammad Mahamra). They were, however, surrounding the village and not letting anyone out. “If I had the chance to sit with Khaled now, I’d ask him why he did it. Why did he kill human beings?” his father wondered.

Two of the terrorists’ uncles are senior members of Fatah’s military wing. One of them was even released from Israeli prison in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange. Still, according to Ahmad Mahamra, the attack his son committed together with Mohammad struck the family like lightning on a clear day. “We had no idea. The only thing I can think about is that everyone is a victim: him [Khaled] and the Israelis. Even though he was studying engineering, both he and the youngsters of his generation thought that there was no hope, that there was no future,” said Ahmad.

Musa Mahamra, head of the Yatta village council, is also a member of the extended family. He told Al-Monitor that while there have been attempts to connect the family to past attacks against Israelis, “I can say with confidence that these two young men had no security record, nor did they have any political allegiance. What motivated them to launch their attack was the feeling that every opportunity had been closed to them and that there was no way out. This is a feeling shared by all young people of the same age who participated in terrorist attacks in the past.”