Body of missing Israeli teen found in West Bank
April 13, 2024
An Israeli teen who went missing in the occupied West Bank was confirmed dead after the discovery of his body, Israeli military officials said on Saturday.
Israeli authorities described the boy's killing as a "terrorist attack."
What do we know about the Israeli teen?
Israel's army said the boy went missing around 6:30 a.m. local time (0330 UTC) Friday from Malachi Hashalom, an Israeli settler outpost near Ramallah, which is the West Bank's administrative center.
Israeli media reported he had left to tend livestock in the area and that a sheep later returned to the outpost without him.
Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 TV said the boy's body was discovered by a drone. The perpetrator of the killing was as of yet unclear.
The army said air, ground, police and other forces had been involved in the search for the boy. Roads were blocked as authorities scoured the area.
Israel Ganz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council that governs Israeli settlements in the central West Bank, said thousands of volunteers had joined in the search.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the killing.
"The heinous murder of the boy Binyamin Achimair is a serious crime," he said in a statement. "We will get to the murderers and their helpers as we do to anyone who harms the citizens of the state of Israel."
Rise in West Bank settler attacks after Israeli teen's disappearance
Israeli settlers violently attacked Palestinian residents following the boy's disappearance on Friday.
One Palestinian died and 25 were injured in an attack by settlers on the al-Mughayyir village on Friday, according to Palestinian health officials. The village lies around 18 kilometers (11.18 miles) northwest of Ramallah.
Israeli settlers returned to the outskirts of the village on Saturday and burned 12 homes and several cars. The Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank said three people from al-Mughayyir were injured in the attack, one critically. Border police fired tear gas towards villagers, trying to disperse them.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli settlers had set fire to several homes in the nearby village of Douma. The Palestinian Red Crescent said six people were injured by gunfire but did not identify the attackers.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant discouraged settlers from vigilante attacks in a post on the platform X, formerly Twitter.
"Let the security forces act quickly in the hunt for the terrorists — revenge actions will make it difficult for our fighters in their mission — the law must not be taken into one's own hands," Gallant said.
Netanyahu also urged Israelis not to get in the way of security forces.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa condemned the settler attacks.
"The attacks of the settlers will not discourage our people from standing on their land," he said.
Increase in West Bank violence since October 7
Tensions have risen in the West Bank since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, when the Hamas Islamist militant group in control of Gaza launched deadly terror attacks on southern Israel. The Hamas attacks killed around 1,200 people in Israel, most of them civilians, with Hamas also taking over 250 hostages into the Gaza Strip.
In response, Israel carried out an offensive in Gaza that has killed over 33,000 people, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The figures are generally considered reliable but do not differentiate between civilian and combatant casualties.
Since October 7, more than 460 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, largely in Israeli army raids but also as a result of violence from settlers.
2023 was already one of the bloodiest years in the West Bank before the outbreak of the war, with nearly 200 Palestinians killed in the West Bank last year before October 7.
The West Bank has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. Parts of the territory are governed by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.
sdi/wd (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)