Cleared for Publication: Shin Bet, IDF and police have arrested two Palestinians, both residents of the village of Awarta, in connection to the Fogel family massacre in Itamar in March.
The first suspect is Hakim Mazen Awad, 18, a high school student whose father was active in the Popular Front terror organization. Awad has a prison record. His uncle, who was killed in clashes with IDF forces in 2003, was involved in a June 2002 terror attack in Itamar, which left five dead.
The second suspect, Amjad Mahmad Awad, 19, also a student, is affiliated with the Popular Front.
The two suspects confessed to their involvement in the murders, and said that they sought to carry out a terror attack in order to kill Israelis. They expressed no regret over the murders.
The Shin Bet arrested the two subsequent to a strenuous investigation, which included the interrogation of multiple persons of interest in the case.
On April 5 and April 10, IDF forces arrested Amjad and Hakim. The investigation into the attack revealed that the two decided to carry out a terror attack and attempted to acquire weapons three days before the March 11 attack.
In order to obtain the weapons they turned to a Popular Front militant in their village, but he refused to acquiesce to their request. And yet, at midday on Friday March 11, they decided that they would go to Itamar that night, armed with knives and carry out the attack.
At approximately 9:00 pm the two cut the settlement fence and entered its ground, masked. At first, they entered a neighboring house, found it empty, and stole an M-16 rifle, clips and a Kevlar vest. From there they moved onto the Fogel home.
Before entering the house the murderers noticed that there were children in the home. Undeterred, they still chose to proceed, killing two of the children immediately after breaking in. Parents Ehud and Ruth were murdered next. According to the investigation’s report, the two struggled with their attackers before succumbing to multiple shotgun wounds.
Before fleeing the scene, the two stole an additional gun from the Fogel home. When they had already left the house and saw a patrol car outside, they feared they would be captured. At that point, Amjad insisted on going back into the house and searching for additional weapons. Unfortunately, this was when the Fogel’s baby girl started crying. Fearing it would attract attention, the two murdered her, as well.
As for the two surviving children, the murderers said they hadn’t noticed them. Had they found the two, both said, they would not have hesitated to kill them, as well.
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
15 Responses
One of them was in HS, I wonder what he was being taught there. I doubt he was learning Shakespeare. They should not have captured them alive. Now they will be released in a prisoner swap.
They better not be alive by the end of next week. Whether Israel has an official death punishment or not is irrelevant. They can make one just for these (high school) guys.
Once convicted, they must be give the death penalty.
Aryeh Zelasko
Beit Shemesh
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a brutal, violent terrorist group that takes human life lightly. It is a far left organization founded by Dr. George Habash, a Christian Arab, and is not a Jihadist group but rather anti-religious. Those who attributed this horrible murder on jihadists appear to have misdirected the blame, but the PFLP is every bit as bad.
KILL THEM!!!!!!!!
SLATHER them in chazir and let them rot!
YEMACH SH’MOM V’ZICHROM!!!
Timche Es Zecher Amolayk is a hard mitzva but we need to do it!
A nice dull knife at their throat
Hatred towards Jews is taught from birth and modeled and encouraged throughout their education.
Horrific individuals with no regard for human dignity…and I bet they are complaining of being HUMILIATED by this arrest.
why is everyone going on about killing them?
why let these reshaim have a quick death?
let them get there full punishment in gehinnom!
just lock them in a room full of savage child molestors and throw away the key
these monsters do not deserve an easy death
Charlie we know that but they were still indoctrinated by the same jihadist, nationalist anti semitism which is rampant in their school system.
Besides it is too soon to tell but would not be surprised if they are jihadists, remember the PA is cracking down on Hamas and islamic Jihad in the West Bank so maybe they decided to join a diff terrorist group.
#8- you want to know why? because if they go to jail, the cchances are very great that they will be released at some future date, and will carry out more terrorist attacks…..
They should be stabbed to death like they nebach did to innocent Nishomos.
Instead of killing them, why not torture them on a daily basis. The kind of torture their brethren in Iran are good at. Do that for the rest of their miserable lives. That will be a better revenge than straight out killing.
Why does the newspaper refer to them as teenagers? To stress perhaps that this was a youthful mistake? Please. They’re over 18, and full adults. No more “teenage terrorists;” plain “terrorists” is more than enough.
To torture them is not an option. Shame. I would simply release them- at a football match in the Jerusalem stadium…
However, Israel does have a death sentence law for special cases, and I hope someone in this rotten government thinks this is one such case.
For added effect, they could be buried with pig parts, to ensure the deterring effect it should have on their family and friends who are very concerned about the afterlife.
Yimach Shemom Vezichrom.
Unfortunately, because Israel is not run according to Halacha, there is no death penalty even for the worst of the worst (Eichmann was a special one-time exception), while the death penalty is routinely carried out on unborn babies. Hopefully, this will change in the near future!