An ambulance arriving at the scene of Saturday’s suicide bombing in Istanbul. Photo: Walla/Screenshot.

Each of the three Israelis killed in the Istanbul suicide bombing on Saturday had gone to Turkey to celebrate a happy milestone, the Hebrew news site Walla reported on Sunday.

Avraham Goldman, 69, who held dual Israeli-American citizenship, was a married father of three and grandfather of eight from Herzliya. According to a friend of the family’s, Goldman, who became a tour guide later in life, took his wife to Turkey to celebrate her birthday. “When he told me he was going, we spoke about the security concerns. He was a very responsible person, and there was no travel warning. On the other hand, as a person who toured Israel and knew that things aren’t as they appear and sound from abroad, and don’t always reflect the reality on the ground, he didn’t cancel the trip… sadly,” the friend told Walla.

Yonatan Shor from Tel Aviv — who also held dual Israeli-American citizenship — was in Turkey celebrating his 40th birthday with his wife, Inbal (and mother of the couple’s two children), who was wounded in the attack and underwent surgery in Istanbul.

Shor, originally from Kibbutz Kvutzat Shiller (also known as Gan Shlomo) in central Israel, did his military service with the Border Police, completed a law degree and worked in high-tech.

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Simcha Damri – a 60-year-old mother and grandmother from Dimona – was in Turkey celebrating her husband, Avraham’s retirement. Avraham was wounded in the attack and is being treated in an Istanbul hospital. He had been planning to throw his wife a huge surprise party next month for her birthday.

The suicide bomber, identified as ISIS operative Mehmet Ozturk, detonated himself just before 11 a.m. on Saturday, on a busy street lined with shops and foreign consulates.

In addition to the three Israelis, an Iranian national, Ali Reza Razmhah, was also killed in the blast, which also left at least 36 people wounded, among them 11 Israelis.