Shaarei Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem said this morning that the condition of the security guard at Jerusalem’s central bus station who was stabbed in the heart during a terror attack earlier this month has improved slightly.

Security guard Asher Elmaliach was seriously wounded in the attack, during which a 24-year-old resident of the Palestinian Authority residing illegally in Jerusalem approached an entrance of the central bus station in Jerusalem and stabbed Elmaliach in the heart before fleeing the scene. The terrorist was caught and arrested shortly thereafter.

Officials at Shaarei Tzedek Hospital described Elmaliach’s survival as a “Hanukkah miracle”, stating that if the ambulance carrying Elmaliach had been delayed by even several minutes, he would not have survived.

Nevertheless, Elmaliach’s condition continued to be defined as serious, and hospital officials said last Sunday that Elmaliach had been connected to an ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) machine to assist his breathing.

This morning, the hospital said that Elmaliach’s condition had improved slightly, noting that he had been disconnected from the ECMO machine over the weekend.

Officials emphasized, however, that Elmaliach’s condition is still serious, and he remains sedated and connected to a respirator in the hospital’s intensive care unit.