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Kidnapped Israeli teenagers: Bodies of three teens 'abducted by Hamas' found in West Bank Kidnapped Israeli teenagers: Bodies of three teens 'abducted by Hamas' found in West Bank
(35 minutes later)
The Israeli military has found the bodies of three missing teenagers, just over two weeks after they were abducted in the West Bank, allegedly by Hamas militants. The Israeli army has found the corpses of three teenagers missing since 12 June in a field west of the West Bank city of Hebron, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet due to meet tonight to weigh a response.
The discovery ends an intense search that led to Israel's largest ground operation in the Palestinian territory in nearly a decade and raised fears of renewed fighting with Hamas. The discovery of the corpses of Naftali Frankel, 16, Gilad Shaer 16, and Eyal Yifrach, 19, is sure to touch off widespread grief and anger in Israeli society, large swathes of which had virtually adopted them as their own children.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was holding talks with his Security Cabinet on Monday night to discuss a response. Meanwhile, Palestinians braced for a possible escalation of Israeli operations and measures in the West Bank, in which more than 400 people have already been arrested, most of them activists of the militant Hamas group which Israel holds responsible for the  kidnapping.
Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Fraenkel, a 16-year-old with dual Israeli-American citizenship, disappeared while hitchhiking home near the West Bank city of Hebron late on June 12 and were never heard from again. Despite the dangers, hitchhiking is common among Israelis travelling in and out of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. “While finding these bodies was a foregone conclusion, it is possible Netanyahu might want now to take a spectacular punitive action,” said Yossi Alpher, former director of the Jaffee Centre for Strategic Studies. “It’s possible  he’s been waiting to be able to point to the  bodies and do this.”
The Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency announced that the bodies had been found. It is possible Israel could strike harder in Gaza, which has been tense throughout the kidnapping drama as militants fired rockets at southern Israel and Israel responded with airstrikes. On Monday night there were reports that the Israeli Air Force was in the skies above Gaza.
"The bodies are currently going through forensic identification. The families of the abducted teens have been notified," the army said. Mr Netanyahu has accused Hamas, although he has not provided any direct evidence, while the militant group has praised the kidnappings without claiming responsibility. Mr Netanyahu has pressed the moderate Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas to break off a recently agreed national reconciliation deal with Hamas in the aftermath of the kidnappings and it appeared likely he will ratchet up the pressure now that the corpses have been found.
The Shin Bet said the bodies had been buried in a field near the village of Halhul, just north of Hebron. After a gag on publication about the discovery of the bodies was lifted, the Israel Defence Forces issued a statement saying: “Following searches three bodies were discovered northwest of Hebron, north of the community of Telem. The bodies are going through forensic identification and the families have been notified.”
Binyamin Proper, who was among the civilian volunteers that found the bodies, told Channel 2 TV that a member of the search party "saw something suspicious on the ground, plants that looked out of place, moved them and moved some rocks and then found the bodies. We realised it was them and we called the army." Initial reports suggested that the three had been shot dead shortly after they went missing.
Israel accused Hamas of being behind the abductions and launched a frantic manhunt throughout the West Bank, arresting nearly 400 Hamas operatives in the process. Last week, Israel identified two well-known Hamas operatives as the chief suspects. The two men remained on the run on Monday night.
Naftali Frankel, Gil-ad Shaer and Eyal Yifrach went missing on 12 June (Reuters)Naftali Frankel, Gil-ad Shaer and Eyal Yifrach went missing on 12 June (Reuters)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the kidnappings, and his forces coordinated closely with Israel during the search for the teens. But Mr Netanyahu has called on Mr Abbas to dissolve a unity government recently formed with the backing of Hamas, saying it is impossible to be committed to peace while simultaneously sitting together with a group that kidnaps Israelis. Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency last Thursday named two Hamas figures, Marwan Kawasmeh and Amer Abu Aisha, as the kidnappers of the teenagers, whose corpses were found only 15 minutes’ drive away from where they are believed to have disappeared while hitchhiking.
Mr Abbas has so far refused the calls, saying his new government is committed to his political programme. Hamas is not part of his government, but has lent its backing from the outside. Israel Radio reported that after gathering information during interrogations of relatives of the two, the army had focused its search on Monday in a limited area and found the three corpses.
The search for the teens captured the nation's attention. The Israeli media delivered round-the-clock updates on the search, and the mothers of the three teens became high-profile figures as they campaigned for their sons' return. Israelis held daily prayer vigils, including mass gatherings attended by tens of thousands of people at the Western Wall, the holiest prayer site in Judaism, and in a square in Tel Aviv. Palestinians say the two have been missing since the time the youths disappeared. Abu Aisha’s father was arrested by Israeli forces
On Monday night dozens of Israeli forces moved into the village of Halhul. There were no further details on the operation. Clashes erupted between Palestinians and the massive security forces deployment in Halhoul, near Hebron, with Palestinians reported to have thrown stones at the soldiers.
In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said: "We obviously condemn in the strongest possible terms violence that takes the lives of innocent civilians." The Israeli operation against Hamas in the West Bank targeted civilian infrastructure and included raids on charitable associations, universities and a printing press.
Palestinians viewed the campaign as a collective punishment. Five Palestinians died, including a 14-year-old boy in Dura, near Hebron, and the Israeli military activity touched off inter-Palestinian tensions as Palestinians in Ramallah last week demonstrated against Mr Abbas’s ordering of continued security coordination between Palestinian police and the Israeli army.
Abdullah Abdullah, a Palestinian legislator who supports Mr Abbas, voiced concern that Israel will now add to the tensions. “The Israelis must understand that if they raise the tension and further collective punishment, the Palestinians won’t lie dead and let the Israelis wreak havoc. If they do more than what they’re doing, there will be more violence.”