11 aug 2019
The Palestinian presidency condemned today the Israeli occupation forces storming Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacking worshipers on the first day of Eid Al-Adha and warned that the Israeli escalation could turn the political conflict into religious strife.
"We hold the Israeli government responsible for police breaking into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacking worshipers, which is a major provocation to the feelings of Muslims and serves to fuel the situation and increase tension that would drag the region to the square of violence," said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israeli police attacked tens of thousands of Palestinian Muslims who were holding the morning prayers for the first day of Eid Al-Adha, one of the main Muslim holidays, at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City, causing several dozen injuries, mainly among elderly people who had to be transferred to hospitals for treatment. video video video
The police attack came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and extremist right wing Israeli officials pressed for allowing fanatic Jews into the Muslim holy compound on this important Muslim holiday. video video
In order to allow the fanatic Jews in, Israeli police attacked the Muslim worshippers and forced them out of the holy compound while preventing them from carrying out their religious duty.
Abu Rudeineh stressed in a statement the need to stop the Israeli violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque, stressing that it is a red line that cannot be tolerated in the face of repeated attacks on this holy place by the occupation forces and its settlers.
He said that President Abbas salutes our people in Jerusalem for their steadfastness in the face of the occupation schemes that seek to change the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque as an only Muslim holy place, calling for urgent international and Arab intervention in order to curb the aggression and Israeli arrogance and force Israel as an occupying power to stop its actions and practices in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.
"We warn the Israeli government against continuing to allow settlers to carry out these crimes and we warn against turning the political conflict into a religious one that could burn everything in its way,” he said.
Dozens of Jewish settlers defile Aqsa on first day of Eid
The Israeli occupation police on Sunday allowed hundreds of Jewish settlers to desecrate the Aqsa Mosque’s courtyards three times on Sunday, the first day of Eid al-Adha.
According to Maariv newspaper, the Israeli police allowed about 1,729 settlers to enter the Aqsa Mosque.
However, Jerusalemite sources affirmed that the settlers who toured the Mosque totaled about 13,35 and that the Israeli media exaggerated their number for propaganda purposes.
Meanwhile, Israeli police forces stormed, following the Eid prayers, the Aqsa Mosque and violently attacked Muslim worshipers as groups of settlers started to enter the Mosque and tour its courtyards.
PLO: Israel bears full responsibility for storming Al Aqsa, fueling religious tensions in Jerusalem
The storming of Al Aqsa Mosque Compound in Jerusalem by Israeli occupation forces this Eid morning is an act of recklessness and aggression, designed to provoke religious and political tensions in the City and across Palestine,’ today said Hanan Ashrawi, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
“We condemn this aggression, which is reprehensible and dangerous and hold the Israeli political establishment fully responsible for its grave consequences,” she said in a statement.
“To score points in election season, Israeli politicians are competing on who can exhibit higher levels of aggression and hostility against the Palestinian people during this important religious holiday, including the endorsement of Israeli settler plans to storm Al Aqsa Compound.
These Israeli attacks and political endorsements of extremism are stoking the flames of religious fervor and threaten to plunge the region in sectarian war.
They reflect a dangerous and irresponsible agenda that must be confronted with blanket and unequivocal international condemnation,” said the PLO official.
She called on the international community “to confront this belligerence and to intervene to stop any further deterioration in Jerusalem.”
"We hold the Israeli government responsible for police breaking into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacking worshipers, which is a major provocation to the feelings of Muslims and serves to fuel the situation and increase tension that would drag the region to the square of violence," said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israeli police attacked tens of thousands of Palestinian Muslims who were holding the morning prayers for the first day of Eid Al-Adha, one of the main Muslim holidays, at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City, causing several dozen injuries, mainly among elderly people who had to be transferred to hospitals for treatment. video video video
The police attack came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and extremist right wing Israeli officials pressed for allowing fanatic Jews into the Muslim holy compound on this important Muslim holiday. video video
In order to allow the fanatic Jews in, Israeli police attacked the Muslim worshippers and forced them out of the holy compound while preventing them from carrying out their religious duty.
Abu Rudeineh stressed in a statement the need to stop the Israeli violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque, stressing that it is a red line that cannot be tolerated in the face of repeated attacks on this holy place by the occupation forces and its settlers.
He said that President Abbas salutes our people in Jerusalem for their steadfastness in the face of the occupation schemes that seek to change the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque as an only Muslim holy place, calling for urgent international and Arab intervention in order to curb the aggression and Israeli arrogance and force Israel as an occupying power to stop its actions and practices in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.
"We warn the Israeli government against continuing to allow settlers to carry out these crimes and we warn against turning the political conflict into a religious one that could burn everything in its way,” he said.
Dozens of Jewish settlers defile Aqsa on first day of Eid
The Israeli occupation police on Sunday allowed hundreds of Jewish settlers to desecrate the Aqsa Mosque’s courtyards three times on Sunday, the first day of Eid al-Adha.
According to Maariv newspaper, the Israeli police allowed about 1,729 settlers to enter the Aqsa Mosque.
However, Jerusalemite sources affirmed that the settlers who toured the Mosque totaled about 13,35 and that the Israeli media exaggerated their number for propaganda purposes.
Meanwhile, Israeli police forces stormed, following the Eid prayers, the Aqsa Mosque and violently attacked Muslim worshipers as groups of settlers started to enter the Mosque and tour its courtyards.
PLO: Israel bears full responsibility for storming Al Aqsa, fueling religious tensions in Jerusalem
The storming of Al Aqsa Mosque Compound in Jerusalem by Israeli occupation forces this Eid morning is an act of recklessness and aggression, designed to provoke religious and political tensions in the City and across Palestine,’ today said Hanan Ashrawi, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
“We condemn this aggression, which is reprehensible and dangerous and hold the Israeli political establishment fully responsible for its grave consequences,” she said in a statement.
“To score points in election season, Israeli politicians are competing on who can exhibit higher levels of aggression and hostility against the Palestinian people during this important religious holiday, including the endorsement of Israeli settler plans to storm Al Aqsa Compound.
These Israeli attacks and political endorsements of extremism are stoking the flames of religious fervor and threaten to plunge the region in sectarian war.
They reflect a dangerous and irresponsible agenda that must be confronted with blanket and unequivocal international condemnation,” said the PLO official.
She called on the international community “to confront this belligerence and to intervene to stop any further deterioration in Jerusalem.”
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday closed the Ibrahimi Mosque in the Old City of al-Khalil before Muslim worshipers and prevented them from performing their prayers at the holy site, including the Eid al-Adha prayer.
According to local sources, the IOF allowed Jewish settlers to perform their Talmudic rituals at the Mosque and to pitch tents in its courtyards.
Meanwhile, the IOF intensified its presence in al-Khalil and its vicinity and obstructed the movement of Palestinian citizens and vehicles on roads around it.
According to local sources, the IOF allowed Jewish settlers to perform their Talmudic rituals at the Mosque and to pitch tents in its courtyards.
Meanwhile, the IOF intensified its presence in al-Khalil and its vicinity and obstructed the movement of Palestinian citizens and vehicles on roads around it.
Israeli settlers on Saturday evening assaulted a Palestinian elderly man in Jabal Jalis area, east of the West Bank city of al-Khalil.
Local sources said that a group of Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian citizen Shaker al-Tamimi, 70, and his family near their home in Jabal Jalis. No serious injuries were reported.
There are about 503 settler outposts in the West Bank and Jerusalem. They are inhabited by 800,000 Israeli settlers who carry out almost daily attacks on the Palestinians.
Local sources said that a group of Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian citizen Shaker al-Tamimi, 70, and his family near their home in Jabal Jalis. No serious injuries were reported.
There are about 503 settler outposts in the West Bank and Jerusalem. They are inhabited by 800,000 Israeli settlers who carry out almost daily attacks on the Palestinians.
The Israeli occupation police on Sunday morning was forced to prevent groups of Jewish settlers from entering the Aqsa Mosque through al-Maghariba Gate after dozens of thousands of Palestinian worshipers flocked to the Islamic holy site and performed the Eid prayers inside and outside it.
Hundreds of Jerusalemites also rallied outside the Mosque and chanted slogans against Jewish settlers, who had already announced intents to desecrate the Mosque during the first day of Eid al-Adha. video
A few days ago, extremist Jewish groups had incited their followers and supporters to force their way into the Aqsa Mosque on Sunday, the first day of Eid al-Adha, to mark the anniversary of what they called the destruction of the temple mount.
In response to such incitement, the Higher Islamic Commission in Occupied Jerusalem, the Council for Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, and the Council of Fatwa called on all Mosques around the Old City of Jerusalem to close on Eid al-Adha in order to allow more people to join Eid Al-Adha prayers at the Aqsa Mosque compound as a means "to protect the Mosque" against settlers’ intended break-ins.
Hundreds of Jerusalemites also rallied outside the Mosque and chanted slogans against Jewish settlers, who had already announced intents to desecrate the Mosque during the first day of Eid al-Adha. video
A few days ago, extremist Jewish groups had incited their followers and supporters to force their way into the Aqsa Mosque on Sunday, the first day of Eid al-Adha, to mark the anniversary of what they called the destruction of the temple mount.
In response to such incitement, the Higher Islamic Commission in Occupied Jerusalem, the Council for Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, and the Council of Fatwa called on all Mosques around the Old City of Jerusalem to close on Eid al-Adha in order to allow more people to join Eid Al-Adha prayers at the Aqsa Mosque compound as a means "to protect the Mosque" against settlers’ intended break-ins.
9 aug 2019
President Mahmoud 'Abbas' advisor for religious affairs Mahmuod al-Habbash warned against calls made by Jewish extremist groups for their followers to force their way into al-Aqsa mosque compound on the anniversary of the so called “Destruction of the Temple” on Sunday, which also marks Eid al-Adha holiday for Muslims.
Habbash stressed the need for the world to prevent this 'crime’ from taking place before it is too late, stating that such move could trigger religious strife in the region if carried out.
Jewish hardline religious groups have called on their followers to force their way into Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday, the day Muslims mark Eid al-Adha holiday, one of the most important holidays in Islam that coincides with the annual pilgrimage to Makkah.
In response to these calls, the Higher Islamic Commission (HIC) in Occupied Jerusalem, the Council for Waqf and Islamic Affairs, and the Supreme Council of Fatwa, an Islamic body based in eastern Jerusalem, called on all mosques around the city of Jerusalem to close on Eid al-Adha, and for Muslims to head toward al-Aqsa mosque compound to protect the mosque and perform the Eid prayer there.
Habbash stressed the need for the world to prevent this 'crime’ from taking place before it is too late, stating that such move could trigger religious strife in the region if carried out.
Jewish hardline religious groups have called on their followers to force their way into Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday, the day Muslims mark Eid al-Adha holiday, one of the most important holidays in Islam that coincides with the annual pilgrimage to Makkah.
In response to these calls, the Higher Islamic Commission (HIC) in Occupied Jerusalem, the Council for Waqf and Islamic Affairs, and the Supreme Council of Fatwa, an Islamic body based in eastern Jerusalem, called on all mosques around the city of Jerusalem to close on Eid al-Adha, and for Muslims to head toward al-Aqsa mosque compound to protect the mosque and perform the Eid prayer there.
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Israeli settlers set fire to hay bales, sprayed racist graffiti, and attacked Palestinians cars with stones to the east of Yatta and Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, said a local activist.
The popular committee coordinator in Yatta, Rateb al-Jabour, said settlers raided al-Irfaiyeh area and set fire to hay bales belonging to local resident Khaled al-'Ammo. They also sprayed racist graffiti calling for revenge against the Palestinians. Meanwhile, local sources said that dozens of settlers hurled stones and empty glass bottles at Palestinian cars to the east of Hebron and at linking roads in the Hebron district. video Israeli settlers attack Palestinian homes, cars in West Bank |
Israeli settlers at dawn Friday attacked Palestinian citizens in different areas in the West Bank.
Local sources said that hordes of Israeli settlers hurled rocks at Palestinian homes and cars in Tuqu' and Nahalin towns in Bethlehem.
Earlier, on Thursday evening, dozens of Israeli settlers closed several roads in the West Bank and hurled rocks and stones at Palestinian vehicles in protest at the murder of an Israeli soldier neat Gush Etzion settlement bloc.
Eyewitnesses reported that many Palestinian vehicles were partially damaged, while a Palestinian citizen was injured in the attacks and was transferred to a medical center in al-Khalil district for treatment.
On Thursday morning the Israeli occupation army announced that an Israeli soldier was found dead near the Gush Etzion settlement area, adding that the initial assessments showed that he was kidnapped and stabbed to death by "Palestinians".
Israeli Colonists Burn Hay Bales, Write Racist Graffiti, Near Hebron
A group of illegal extremist Israeli colonialist settlers invaded, Friday, Erfa’eyya area east of Yatta town, east of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, burnt hay bales, and wrote racist graffiti, in addition to hurling stones at Palestinian cars in the area and surrounding communities.
Rateb Jabour, the media coordinator of the Popular and National Committees in southern West Bank, said the colonists infiltrated into the area and burnt many hay bales, owned by the residents.
He added that the Israeli assailants also hurled stones, and empty bottles, at many Palestinian cars east of Hebron city, and a nearby road.
The colonists also wrote racist anti-Palestinian graffiti on many walls in Yatta, before fleeing the area and heading to their nearby illegal colonies and outposts.
In related news, the soldiers abducted Morad Eshteiwi, the coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Annexation Wall and Colonies, in Kufur Qaddoum town, east of the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, while crossing al-Karama Border Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan.
In addition, groups of illegal Israeli colonialist settlers attacked, on Friday at dawn, many Palestinian homes and cars in several areas in Bethlehem governorate, south of occupied East Jerusalem, in the West Bank.
On Friday afternoon, the soldiers invaded Beit Fajjar town, south of Bethlehem, searched and ransacked several homes before abducting a young Palestinian man and confiscating his car.
It is worth mentioning that the army has been conducting massive invasions and violent searches of homes and property after the body of an Israeli soldier was found near Efrat colony, illegally built on Palestinian lands, south of Bethlehem.
After the soldier’s body was found, the army installed many roadblocks in the area, and imposed a strict siege on Beit Fajjar, Move to Trash before initiating extensive and very violent searches of homes and property and interrogated dozens of residents.
The soldiers also confiscated surveillance tapes and equipment from many homes and stores, after searching them.
The searches also targeted many Palestinian villages and communities in areas north of Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank.
Local sources said that hordes of Israeli settlers hurled rocks at Palestinian homes and cars in Tuqu' and Nahalin towns in Bethlehem.
Earlier, on Thursday evening, dozens of Israeli settlers closed several roads in the West Bank and hurled rocks and stones at Palestinian vehicles in protest at the murder of an Israeli soldier neat Gush Etzion settlement bloc.
Eyewitnesses reported that many Palestinian vehicles were partially damaged, while a Palestinian citizen was injured in the attacks and was transferred to a medical center in al-Khalil district for treatment.
On Thursday morning the Israeli occupation army announced that an Israeli soldier was found dead near the Gush Etzion settlement area, adding that the initial assessments showed that he was kidnapped and stabbed to death by "Palestinians".
Israeli Colonists Burn Hay Bales, Write Racist Graffiti, Near Hebron
A group of illegal extremist Israeli colonialist settlers invaded, Friday, Erfa’eyya area east of Yatta town, east of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, burnt hay bales, and wrote racist graffiti, in addition to hurling stones at Palestinian cars in the area and surrounding communities.
Rateb Jabour, the media coordinator of the Popular and National Committees in southern West Bank, said the colonists infiltrated into the area and burnt many hay bales, owned by the residents.
He added that the Israeli assailants also hurled stones, and empty bottles, at many Palestinian cars east of Hebron city, and a nearby road.
The colonists also wrote racist anti-Palestinian graffiti on many walls in Yatta, before fleeing the area and heading to their nearby illegal colonies and outposts.
In related news, the soldiers abducted Morad Eshteiwi, the coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Annexation Wall and Colonies, in Kufur Qaddoum town, east of the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, while crossing al-Karama Border Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan.
In addition, groups of illegal Israeli colonialist settlers attacked, on Friday at dawn, many Palestinian homes and cars in several areas in Bethlehem governorate, south of occupied East Jerusalem, in the West Bank.
On Friday afternoon, the soldiers invaded Beit Fajjar town, south of Bethlehem, searched and ransacked several homes before abducting a young Palestinian man and confiscating his car.
It is worth mentioning that the army has been conducting massive invasions and violent searches of homes and property after the body of an Israeli soldier was found near Efrat colony, illegally built on Palestinian lands, south of Bethlehem.
After the soldier’s body was found, the army installed many roadblocks in the area, and imposed a strict siege on Beit Fajjar, Move to Trash before initiating extensive and very violent searches of homes and property and interrogated dozens of residents.
The soldiers also confiscated surveillance tapes and equipment from many homes and stores, after searching them.
The searches also targeted many Palestinian villages and communities in areas north of Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank.
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Israeli settlers at dawn attacked two Palestinian homes in the Bethlehem area, the occupied West Bank, with stones, according to local sources.
Sources told WAFA correspondent settlers hurled stones at a house belonging to local resident Ahmad Abu Diyeh in the town of Taqou to the east of Bethlehem. They further attacked his car. Settlers also attacked with stones the home of local resident Fu’ad Najajreh in the town of Nahalin to the west of Bethlehem, causing panic and fear among the family. No injuries were reported. |
8 aug 2019
Extremist Jewish settlers on Thursday evening attacked with stones Palestinian vehicles passing at route 60 near the village of Lubban Esharqia, north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, said WAFA correspondent. video
Jewish settlers attacked vehicles while passing near the village, causing partial damages to some of them.
Other drivers, meanwhile, opted for longer, alternative routes in order to avert the stone-attack.
Israeli settler violence against Palestinians and their property is commonplace in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.
It includes arsons of property and mosques, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.
Between 500,000 and 600,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law.
Jewish settlers attacked vehicles while passing near the village, causing partial damages to some of them.
Other drivers, meanwhile, opted for longer, alternative routes in order to avert the stone-attack.
Israeli settler violence against Palestinians and their property is commonplace in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.
It includes arsons of property and mosques, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.
Between 500,000 and 600,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday laid the foundation stone for the construction of 650 new housing units in Beit El illegal settlement located near Ramallah, northern West Bank.
Speaking at the foundation stone, Netanyahu mentioned the Israeli soldier who was found dead in Etzion settlement this morning.
The Israeli government decided to expand a neighborhood on the verge of construction in the settlement of “Beit El” adjacent to the city of Ramallah in the West Bank, to include the construction of 650 new units in the settlement instead of 296 units approved earlier.
The construction of the new settlement neighborhood is allegedly “compensation” granted by the Israeli government to the settlers, following the evacuation of the illegal Olbana neighborhood in 2012 and the Darinov neighborhood in 2015, which are illegal settlements as well.
The establishment of the new settlement, which is scheduled to include 650 housing units, will increase the population density of settlers in the region by 65%.
Speaking at the foundation stone, Netanyahu mentioned the Israeli soldier who was found dead in Etzion settlement this morning.
The Israeli government decided to expand a neighborhood on the verge of construction in the settlement of “Beit El” adjacent to the city of Ramallah in the West Bank, to include the construction of 650 new units in the settlement instead of 296 units approved earlier.
The construction of the new settlement neighborhood is allegedly “compensation” granted by the Israeli government to the settlers, following the evacuation of the illegal Olbana neighborhood in 2012 and the Darinov neighborhood in 2015, which are illegal settlements as well.
The establishment of the new settlement, which is scheduled to include 650 housing units, will increase the population density of settlers in the region by 65%.
Dvir Sorek 19
Troops, Shin Bet and police searching for killer of 19-year-old Dvir Sorek from settlement of Ofra, whose body was found near Kibbutz Midgdal Oz hours after he went missing; army becoming convinced he had been abducted as part of terror attack
An 19-year-old soldier was stabbed to death and his body found near Kibbutz Migdal Oz in the West Bank in the early hours of Thursday, the IDF said.
The soldier was later named as Dvir Sorek from the West Bank settlement of Ofra. He was not in uniform at the time of the attack. Security forces are conducting a large-scale manhunt for his killer.
The army is becoming more convinced that the soldier had first been abducted and that he had not been murdered at the site where his body was found.
The IDF will intensify its troop presence in the area and launch an extensive investigation together with the Shin Bet and the police, working on the assumption that attack was carried out by an as-yet unidentified terror cell.
Sorek had been missing since Wednesday evening.
"In the early morning, a soldier's body was found bearing stab marks near a settlement in the (Gush Etzion) area," the IDF said.
"The soldier was on a (joint) track of yeshiva studies (and military service)," the army said. "The IDF, the Shin Bet security service and the police are on the scene and searching the area."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying that security forces were "in pursuit now in order to capture the despicable terrorist and bring him to account."
IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Menalis said: "During the night, we received a report of an 18-year-old boy whose relatives had been unable to contact him since late evening.
"They reported this to us very late at night. We gathered forces from the Etzion Regional Division, including trackers," he said.
"During the night, around 2.30-3am, soldiers found the young man's body near the entrance to Migdal Oz (and) his death was pronounced. He had been stabbed and killed," Menalis said.
"We understand that this was a terror attack. The slain youth is a resident of Binyamin and a yeshiva student in Migdal Oz.
"He had begun his recruitment into the IDF but had not yet served. He was still in the studying stage at the yeshiva. He is from a well-known family in the Judea and Samaria," Menalis said.
Gush Etzion Regional Council head Shlomo Ne'eman said in response to the terror attack: "Gush Etzion awakened to a difficult morning of innocent blood being spilled by despicable murderers. We are a steadfast settlement, having endured bereavement and heroism. We will not weaken as a nation or as an enterprise.
"Our bitter enemies will repeatedly try to hurt us, but our response is the response of the Gush Etzion fighters in the War of Independence, to be ever more determined," he said.
"We send our condolences to the dear family who are in pain, and to the settlement where the hero studied," Ne'eman said. "And to the Israeli government we say again – bring this war to an end in victory."
Israeli Soldier Found Dead in Apparent Attack in West Bank
Israeli authorities announced Thursday morning that they had found the body of a 19-year old Israeli soldier on the side of a road in the West Bank, and believe he was the victim of an attack.
The perpetrators of the attack remain unknown, although Israeli authorities say they assume the attackers were Palestinian.
The victim was identified as Dvir Sorek, who was a settler living illegally on stolen Palestinian land in the settlement of Ofra.
He was a student of the Jewish religion at a yeshiva (religious Jewish college) in the settlement where he lived. He was also an active duty Israeli soldier.
According to Israeli sources, Sorek had gone to Jerusalem to purchase religious scrolls but did not return home last night. His family reported him missing Tuesday night, and police began a search, finding his body about 2:30 am Wednesday morning.
The Israeli military say their theory is that Sorek was pulled into a vehicle and killed, then dumped on the side of the road, and they presume that this was done by Palestinians.
An Israeli military spokesperson told the Israeli paper Ha’aretz that the military is “beginning to carry out steps on the working assumption that there is a terrorist cell in the area that carried out the attack.”
The Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated that the military is “in pursuit now in order to capture the despicable terrorist and bring him to justice.”
The military has closed off nearby Palestinian villages and invaded them, issuing an order for Palestinians to remain in their homes.
This comes on the eve of the major Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, when many Palestinian families were planning to visit family in different parts of the West Bank.
The curfews and closures have forced the families to remain indoors, and are a type of collective punishment on the Palestinian population in the area.
Troops, Shin Bet and police searching for killer of 19-year-old Dvir Sorek from settlement of Ofra, whose body was found near Kibbutz Midgdal Oz hours after he went missing; army becoming convinced he had been abducted as part of terror attack
An 19-year-old soldier was stabbed to death and his body found near Kibbutz Migdal Oz in the West Bank in the early hours of Thursday, the IDF said.
The soldier was later named as Dvir Sorek from the West Bank settlement of Ofra. He was not in uniform at the time of the attack. Security forces are conducting a large-scale manhunt for his killer.
The army is becoming more convinced that the soldier had first been abducted and that he had not been murdered at the site where his body was found.
The IDF will intensify its troop presence in the area and launch an extensive investigation together with the Shin Bet and the police, working on the assumption that attack was carried out by an as-yet unidentified terror cell.
Sorek had been missing since Wednesday evening.
"In the early morning, a soldier's body was found bearing stab marks near a settlement in the (Gush Etzion) area," the IDF said.
"The soldier was on a (joint) track of yeshiva studies (and military service)," the army said. "The IDF, the Shin Bet security service and the police are on the scene and searching the area."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying that security forces were "in pursuit now in order to capture the despicable terrorist and bring him to account."
IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Menalis said: "During the night, we received a report of an 18-year-old boy whose relatives had been unable to contact him since late evening.
"They reported this to us very late at night. We gathered forces from the Etzion Regional Division, including trackers," he said.
"During the night, around 2.30-3am, soldiers found the young man's body near the entrance to Migdal Oz (and) his death was pronounced. He had been stabbed and killed," Menalis said.
"We understand that this was a terror attack. The slain youth is a resident of Binyamin and a yeshiva student in Migdal Oz.
"He had begun his recruitment into the IDF but had not yet served. He was still in the studying stage at the yeshiva. He is from a well-known family in the Judea and Samaria," Menalis said.
Gush Etzion Regional Council head Shlomo Ne'eman said in response to the terror attack: "Gush Etzion awakened to a difficult morning of innocent blood being spilled by despicable murderers. We are a steadfast settlement, having endured bereavement and heroism. We will not weaken as a nation or as an enterprise.
"Our bitter enemies will repeatedly try to hurt us, but our response is the response of the Gush Etzion fighters in the War of Independence, to be ever more determined," he said.
"We send our condolences to the dear family who are in pain, and to the settlement where the hero studied," Ne'eman said. "And to the Israeli government we say again – bring this war to an end in victory."
Israeli Soldier Found Dead in Apparent Attack in West Bank
Israeli authorities announced Thursday morning that they had found the body of a 19-year old Israeli soldier on the side of a road in the West Bank, and believe he was the victim of an attack.
The perpetrators of the attack remain unknown, although Israeli authorities say they assume the attackers were Palestinian.
The victim was identified as Dvir Sorek, who was a settler living illegally on stolen Palestinian land in the settlement of Ofra.
He was a student of the Jewish religion at a yeshiva (religious Jewish college) in the settlement where he lived. He was also an active duty Israeli soldier.
According to Israeli sources, Sorek had gone to Jerusalem to purchase religious scrolls but did not return home last night. His family reported him missing Tuesday night, and police began a search, finding his body about 2:30 am Wednesday morning.
The Israeli military say their theory is that Sorek was pulled into a vehicle and killed, then dumped on the side of the road, and they presume that this was done by Palestinians.
An Israeli military spokesperson told the Israeli paper Ha’aretz that the military is “beginning to carry out steps on the working assumption that there is a terrorist cell in the area that carried out the attack.”
The Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated that the military is “in pursuit now in order to capture the despicable terrorist and bring him to justice.”
The military has closed off nearby Palestinian villages and invaded them, issuing an order for Palestinians to remain in their homes.
This comes on the eve of the major Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, when many Palestinian families were planning to visit family in different parts of the West Bank.
The curfews and closures have forced the families to remain indoors, and are a type of collective punishment on the Palestinian population in the area.
