Bodies of kidnapped Israeli teens found near Hebron; strong reaction from U.S. Jewish organizations

[King_David]

tel aviv | A national ordeal here ended in tragedy as three Israeli teenagers kidnapped earlier this month were found dead near Hebron.

The discovery of their bodies Monday night by the Israeli army and volunteer searchers brings to an unhappy conclusion the intensive effort to find the missing teens.

Eyal Yifrah, 19; Gilad Shaar, 16; and Naftali Fraenkel, 16, were kidnapped June 12 while hitchhiking near the West Bank settlement of Kfar Etzion. All three were studying in West Bank yeshivas.

Their bodies were found partially exposed in an area called Wadi Tellem north of the Palestinian village of Halhul. Israeli reports said the boys seem to have been killed soon after they were kidnapped.

"They were abducted and murdered in cold blood by human animals," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at an emergency meeting of the Israeli security Cabinet Monday night. "On behalf of the entire Jewish people, I would like to tell the dear families - the mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, and brothers and sisters - we are deeply saddened, the entire nation weeps with you."

He said, "Hamas is responsible - and Hamas will pay."

Israel had previously named Amer Abu Aysha and Marwan Kawasme, two Hamas members, as prime suspects in the abduction. The two have been missing since the kidnapping and are still at large. Hamas has not taken responsibility for the kidnapping.

http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/72005/bodies-of-kidnapped-israeli-teens-found-north-of-hebron/