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| Israeli Teenagers Found Dead; Hamas Under Pressure | |
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| JERUSALEM — The first clues that led to Monday’s grisly discovery of the bodies of three Israeli teenagers missing since June 12 came only hours after their abduction was reported. Inside a burned Hyundai i35 that had been stolen from central Israel a month earlier, a police spokesman said Tuesday, were a pair of tefillin, the leather phylacteries worn for morning prayer by religious Jews like the three youths. | JERUSALEM — The first clues that led to Monday’s grisly discovery of the bodies of three Israeli teenagers missing since June 12 came only hours after their abduction was reported. Inside a burned Hyundai i35 that had been stolen from central Israel a month earlier, a police spokesman said Tuesday, were a pair of tefillin, the leather phylacteries worn for morning prayer by religious Jews like the three youths. |
| DNA evidence from the car, which had been left in the West Bank village of Dura, perhaps a 20-minute ride from where the teenagers had last been seen trying to hitchhike home, was quickly matched to their parents. The authorities, unsure if the mission was rescue or recovery, used signal intelligence technology, interrogations of arrested Palestinians and thousands of soldiers and civilians to comb caves and cisterns in the vast stretch of hilly fields around Hebron, the West Bank’s largest city. | DNA evidence from the car, which had been left in the West Bank village of Dura, perhaps a 20-minute ride from where the teenagers had last been seen trying to hitchhike home, was quickly matched to their parents. The authorities, unsure if the mission was rescue or recovery, used signal intelligence technology, interrogations of arrested Palestinians and thousands of soldiers and civilians to comb caves and cisterns in the vast stretch of hilly fields around Hebron, the West Bank’s largest city. |
| A break came Thursday: the uncovering of a sandal that looked like one of the boys’, said the police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld. Then, just before 1 a.m. on Sunday, the police brought a pair of spectacles found in the field to an eyeglasses store, where the owner, Shalom Friedman, confirmed that he had sold them to one of the teenagers, Eyal Yifrach, 19. | A break came Thursday: the uncovering of a sandal that looked like one of the boys’, said the police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld. Then, just before 1 a.m. on Sunday, the police brought a pair of spectacles found in the field to an eyeglasses store, where the owner, Shalom Friedman, confirmed that he had sold them to one of the teenagers, Eyal Yifrach, 19. |
| The eyeglasses were “completely smashed,” Mr. Friedman said in a video interview posted on Tuesday on the Israeli news site Ynet. “It was a chilling moment.” | The eyeglasses were “completely smashed,” Mr. Friedman said in a video interview posted on Tuesday on the Israeli news site Ynet. “It was a chilling moment.” |
| Finally, on Monday at about 5 p.m., amid agricultural lands worked by the family of one of Israel’s two prime suspects in the abduction, search teams including volunteer hiking guides removed a bush that looked out of place, then a pile of stones, and then three bodies, which early Tuesday were confirmed by forensics to be those of Mr. Yifrach and Naftali Fraenkel and Gilad Shaar, both 16. | Finally, on Monday at about 5 p.m., amid agricultural lands worked by the family of one of Israel’s two prime suspects in the abduction, search teams including volunteer hiking guides removed a bush that looked out of place, then a pile of stones, and then three bodies, which early Tuesday were confirmed by forensics to be those of Mr. Yifrach and Naftali Fraenkel and Gilad Shaar, both 16. |
| “It was kind of a puzzle — there was no one golden piece of information,” a senior Israeli security official said Tuesday morning, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to do otherwise. | “It was kind of a puzzle — there was no one golden piece of information,” a senior Israeli security official said Tuesday morning, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to do otherwise. |
| “It’s a huge area,” he added. “Not hard to hide people there. Every day the search area got narrowed down. It was a complex intelligence operation.” | “It’s a huge area,” he added. “Not hard to hide people there. Every day the search area got narrowed down. It was a complex intelligence operation.” |
| At the same time, Israeli forces are also focused on the Hamas-dominated Gaza Strip, where they launched what Lt. Col. Peter Lerner called “a substantial strike” early Tuesday, dropping 34 bombs on a Hamas compound in the southern city of Rafah, after Gaza militants fired a barrage of rockets into southern Israel on Monday. The assault began about 2 a.m. Tuesday, with what a military statement called a “precision strike.” | At the same time, Israeli forces are also focused on the Hamas-dominated Gaza Strip, where they launched what Lt. Col. Peter Lerner called “a substantial strike” early Tuesday, dropping 34 bombs on a Hamas compound in the southern city of Rafah, after Gaza militants fired a barrage of rockets into southern Israel on Monday. The assault began about 2 a.m. Tuesday, with what a military statement called a “precision strike.” |
| The teenagers were scheduled to be buried together on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in Modiin, halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, after individual processions from each of their homes. | The teenagers were scheduled to be buried together on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in Modiin, halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, after individual processions from each of their homes. |
| The Israeli cabinet planned to meet afterward to plot responses to the killings; Haaretz, an Israeli daily, reported that the right-wing defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, proposed Monday night establishing a new settlement in memory of the slain teenagers, an idea vigorously opposed by centrist ministers who said it would threaten Israeli’s international legitimacy and split Israelis at a moment of national unity. | The Israeli cabinet planned to meet afterward to plot responses to the killings; Haaretz, an Israeli daily, reported that the right-wing defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, proposed Monday night establishing a new settlement in memory of the slain teenagers, an idea vigorously opposed by centrist ministers who said it would threaten Israeli’s international legitimacy and split Israelis at a moment of national unity. |
| The Palestinian leadership was scheduled to convene Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. as well to consider, among other things, the consequences for its recent reconciliation with Hamas, the militant Islamic group Israel says is behind the attack. | The Palestinian leadership was scheduled to convene Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. as well to consider, among other things, the consequences for its recent reconciliation with Hamas, the militant Islamic group Israel says is behind the attack. |
| “The whole issue of who did this, we don’t know, really, even though Israel managed to punish everybody,” Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee, said in an interview. “Hamas says it has nothing to do with it. Hamas has never been self-effacing. Whenever they carried out an operation, they always declared it and took responsibility.” | |
| “In every society you have people who commit crimes, you have people who do things outside the law,” Ms. Ashrawi added. “They may have taken a local initiative, even Israel is saying that.” | “In every society you have people who commit crimes, you have people who do things outside the law,” Ms. Ashrawi added. “They may have taken a local initiative, even Israel is saying that.” |
| It remains unclear whether the kidnappers always intended to kill the teenagers, or abandoned plans to hold them for ransom after one of the Israelis managed to make a cellphone call to a police hotline. | It remains unclear whether the kidnappers always intended to kill the teenagers, or abandoned plans to hold them for ransom after one of the Israelis managed to make a cellphone call to a police hotline. |
| The call, which the security official said stretched for two minutes, was considered a prank by the police, delaying the start of the search. Israeli journalists have reported that a gunshot can be heard on the recorded call after a voice whispers “I’ve been kidnapped,” but Mr. Rosenfeld and other security officials would not confirm that detail. | The call, which the security official said stretched for two minutes, was considered a prank by the police, delaying the start of the search. Israeli journalists have reported that a gunshot can be heard on the recorded call after a voice whispers “I’ve been kidnapped,” but Mr. Rosenfeld and other security officials would not confirm that detail. |
| Though Hamas famously held an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, alive for five years in the Gaza Strip before exchanging him for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in 2011, several security officials and analysts said that killing captured Israelis is the group’s more typical approach in the West Bank, where the Israeli military maintains an active presence and the Shin Bet security service has deep intelligence. | Though Hamas famously held an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, alive for five years in the Gaza Strip before exchanging him for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in 2011, several security officials and analysts said that killing captured Israelis is the group’s more typical approach in the West Bank, where the Israeli military maintains an active presence and the Shin Bet security service has deep intelligence. |
| In 2006, Eliyahu Oshri, 16, was kidnapped and killed by a Hamas cell while hitchhiking near the settlement of Ofra; his body was buried in a pit in Ramallah. A year earlier, Sasson Nuriel, 51, who worked in a factory in a West Bank settlement, was lured to a meeting by five Hamas members; his body was found in a garbage dump near Beitunia, outside Ramallah. | In 2006, Eliyahu Oshri, 16, was kidnapped and killed by a Hamas cell while hitchhiking near the settlement of Ofra; his body was buried in a pit in Ramallah. A year earlier, Sasson Nuriel, 51, who worked in a factory in a West Bank settlement, was lured to a meeting by five Hamas members; his body was found in a garbage dump near Beitunia, outside Ramallah. |
| An exception seared in Israeli memory was the case of Nachson Wachsman, a soldier who – like Naftali Fraenkel – also held United States citizenship. Kidnapped by Hamas militants as he hitched a ride in central Israel in 1994, Sergeant Wachsman was held for six days in a village outside Jerusalem as his captors bargained for an exchange of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, but he was ultimately killed by his captors during an Israeli commando raid. | An exception seared in Israeli memory was the case of Nachson Wachsman, a soldier who – like Naftali Fraenkel – also held United States citizenship. Kidnapped by Hamas militants as he hitched a ride in central Israel in 1994, Sergeant Wachsman was held for six days in a village outside Jerusalem as his captors bargained for an exchange of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, but he was ultimately killed by his captors during an Israeli commando raid. |
| “Past experience shows it is hard to keep abductees alive in Judea and Samaria, because we are there, the Army and the Shin Bet has freedom of access there,” the senior security official said, using the biblical names for the West Bank. “We are still investigating whether the intention was to keep them alive for bargaining or kill them and bargain over their bodies.” | “Past experience shows it is hard to keep abductees alive in Judea and Samaria, because we are there, the Army and the Shin Bet has freedom of access there,” the senior security official said, using the biblical names for the West Bank. “We are still investigating whether the intention was to keep them alive for bargaining or kill them and bargain over their bodies.” |
| Israeli authorities on Thursday named Marwan Qawasmeh, 29, and Amer Abu Aisha, 33, Hebron residents who have not been seen since the June 12 abduction, as the kidnappers. Both men have spent time in Israeli jails, and, the authorities said, Mr. Qawasmeh admitted to having been recruited by the Hamas military wing. | Israeli authorities on Thursday named Marwan Qawasmeh, 29, and Amer Abu Aisha, 33, Hebron residents who have not been seen since the June 12 abduction, as the kidnappers. Both men have spent time in Israeli jails, and, the authorities said, Mr. Qawasmeh admitted to having been recruited by the Hamas military wing. |
| Mr. Aisha’s family owns a tin-roofed store selling iron rods in Azariya, a West Bank village near Jerusalem. A neighbor, who gave his name only as Ghaleb, said Mr. Qawasmeh and Mr. Aisha “are very religious” and “spent long periods in prisons.” | Mr. Aisha’s family owns a tin-roofed store selling iron rods in Azariya, a West Bank village near Jerusalem. A neighbor, who gave his name only as Ghaleb, said Mr. Qawasmeh and Mr. Aisha “are very religious” and “spent long periods in prisons.” |
| “They aren’t troublemakers,” he said. “Both are calm people.” | “They aren’t troublemakers,” he said. “Both are calm people.” |
| Ribhi Abu Aisha, a relative, said Mr. Aisha’s brothers are currently in Israeli prisons and his father was also imprisoned there. One brother, according to Israel’s security service, was killed in 2005 when he tried to hurl an explosive at Israeli soldiers. | Ribhi Abu Aisha, a relative, said Mr. Aisha’s brothers are currently in Israeli prisons and his father was also imprisoned there. One brother, according to Israel’s security service, was killed in 2005 when he tried to hurl an explosive at Israeli soldiers. |
| Hamas leaders have praised the kidnapping but not claimed responsibility for it. | |
| “We are still trying to understand if they worked alone or had connections abroad or in Gaza,” the senior security official said of the suspects. “There are assessments but nothing firm. But the agenda of kidnapping is central to Hamas.” | “We are still trying to understand if they worked alone or had connections abroad or in Gaza,” the senior security official said of the suspects. “There are assessments but nothing firm. But the agenda of kidnapping is central to Hamas.” |
| The Israeli authorities pressed their search on Tuesday for the two men as well as “other people in the second and third circles” with knowledge of the attack, according to Colonel Lerner, a senior spokesman for the Israeli military. In a late-night arrest raid in Jenin, Colonel Lerner said, Israeli troops shot and killed one of the three wanted men after he threw a grenade at them, bringing to six the number of Palestinians that soldiers have killed in the West Bank since the abduction. | The Israeli authorities pressed their search on Tuesday for the two men as well as “other people in the second and third circles” with knowledge of the attack, according to Colonel Lerner, a senior spokesman for the Israeli military. In a late-night arrest raid in Jenin, Colonel Lerner said, Israeli troops shot and killed one of the three wanted men after he threw a grenade at them, bringing to six the number of Palestinians that soldiers have killed in the West Bank since the abduction. |
| “We’re putting all of the intelligence capabilities together, special forces and other units on the ground, and putting that into a plan of action to catch these people,” Colonel Lerner said. “We are confident that we will.” | “We’re putting all of the intelligence capabilities together, special forces and other units on the ground, and putting that into a plan of action to catch these people,” Colonel Lerner said. “We are confident that we will.” |
| He said the early-morning airstrikes in Gaza “has nothing to do with the killings” but was only a response to the increasing rocket attacks. | He said the early-morning airstrikes in Gaza “has nothing to do with the killings” but was only a response to the increasing rocket attacks. |
| “We are sending a clear message that we have the destructive force, the intelligence, and the operational capability to deal out substantial blows in Gaza,” Colonel Lerner said. “We have absolutely no interest in an escalation with Gaza. But we need to be prepared. We’re preparing our intelligence capabilities, we’re preparing our force capabilities for the potential of an escalation there, but it’s not something we’re striving for, it’s not something we want to do.” | “We are sending a clear message that we have the destructive force, the intelligence, and the operational capability to deal out substantial blows in Gaza,” Colonel Lerner said. “We have absolutely no interest in an escalation with Gaza. But we need to be prepared. We’re preparing our intelligence capabilities, we’re preparing our force capabilities for the potential of an escalation there, but it’s not something we’re striving for, it’s not something we want to do.” |