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Israeli Death Toll Rises to 21 As Country Continues to Mourn

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The death toll from last week’s terrorist bombing at Beit Lid Junction rose to 21 over the weekend as two more victims died of wounds sustained during the attack.

Lt. Ayal Moshe Levy, 20, was buried Sunday in the military section of the Ashdod Cemetery.

Cpl. Yaniv Weiser, 18, of Givatayim was laid to rest the same day in the Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery in Tel Aviv.

All but one of the victims in one of the worst massacres of Israeli citizens were soldiers. About 60 others were wounded in the Jan. 22 bombing, which was carried out near Netanya by two members of Islamic Jihad, a fundamentalist movement that militantly opposes the Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative.

On Saturday night, several thousand people gathered at the site of the attack for a memorial rally for the victims of the bombing.

Among the speakers was Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, who criticized Islamic religious leaders for not condemning the attack.

Some of the demonstrators heckled speakers and shouted anti-government slogans.

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