Het heeft even geduurd, maar Israel heeft de moordenaars van het gezin Fogel in Itamar gevonden. En verrassing: het gaat niet om een Thaise gastarbeider die gefrustreerd was over zijn slechte behandeling of lage loon, en het ging ook niet om een familie-vete binnen het dorp. De moordenaars zijn beiden Palestijnen en lid van het Volksfront voor de Bevrijding van Palestina (PFLP).
On March 11, Hakim and Amjad set out for Itamar, armed with knives and tools to cut the perimeter fence and cover their tracks. They crossed from Awarta to Itamar and climbed/jumped over the fence. Once inside Itamar, they proceeded to approach the first row of houses. They broke into a home adjacent to the Fogel residence but found nobody inside. They stole an M-16, clips and a flak jacket. They exited the home and thereupon burst into the Fogel residence. Having spotted children while still outside, they murdered 11-year-old Yoav and 4-year-old Elad. The assailants thereupon entered the bedroom where the parents, Ruth and Udi, were sleeping with 3-month-old Hadas and murdered all three, following a struggle. Before leaving the house, the murderers stole another M-16.
The murderers returned to Awarta on foot and went to the home of Hakim's uncle, PFLP militant Salah E-Sin Awad, and informed him of what they had done. Salah helped them hide the stolen weapons and knives, burn their bloody clothes. During the investigation, it arose that various members of their families were extensively involved in helping them and were fully aware of what they had done.
The murderers returned to Awarta on foot and went to the home of Hakim's uncle, PFLP militant Salah E-Sin Awad, and informed him of what they had done. Salah helped them hide the stolen weapons and knives, burn their bloody clothes. During the investigation, it arose that various members of their families were extensively involved in helping them and were fully aware of what they had done.
RP
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Details on Murderers of Five Members of the Fogel Family
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Office)
Following the 11.3.11 murders of five members of the Fogel family in the Samarian community of Itamar, the ISA, the IDF and the Israel Police began a joint operation to apprehend the murderers. During the operation, dozens of suspects from Awarta - approximately 2 kilometers southwest of Itamar - were detained for questioning. The investigation and intelligence efforts led to the arrest of two young men, residents of Awarta, who confessed to planning and perpetrating the murders, and reconstructed them:
Hakim Maazan Niyad Awad, born in 1993, a minor under Israeli law, was arrested on 5.4.11. A high school student, he is affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He was involved in the October 2010 stabbing of youths from Awarta; the motive was a personal dispute.
Awad's father, Maazan, is a PFLP terrorist who, in the late 1990's, served approximately five years in a Palestinian Authority prison in connection with the murder of his niece and the burning of her body.
Awad's uncle, Jibril Awad, was a PFLP terrorist who was killed in a December 2003 clash with IDF soldiers. He had been involved in the 20.6.02 terrorist attack in Itamar, in which Rachel Shabo (40) and three of her children (Avishai - 5, Zvika - 13 and Neria - 16), and their neighbor Yosef Twito (31), were murdered.
Amjad Muhammad Fawzi Awad, born in 1992, was arrested on 10.4.11. A student, he is affiliated with the PFLP. He had previously worked as a laborer in Israel.
Hakim and Amjad planned to perpetrate a terrorist attack in Itamar several days before March 11. To this end, they tried to acquire a firearm. They turned to Muhammad Said Awad (now under arrest), a PFLP militant in Awarta, and asked that he procure weapons for them; he did not do so.
On March 11, Hakim and Amjad set out for Itamar, armed with knives and tools to cut the perimeter fence and cover their tracks. They crossed from Awarta to Itamar and climbed/jumped over the fence. Once inside Itamar, they proceeded to approach the first row of houses. They broke into a home adjacent to the Fogel residence but found nobody inside. They stole an M-16, clips and a flak jacket. They exited the home and thereupon burst into the Fogel residence. Having spotted children while still outside, they murdered 11-year-old Yoav and 4-year-old Elad. The assailants thereupon entered the bedroom where the parents, Ruth and Udi, were sleeping with 3-month-old Hadas and murdered all three, following a struggle. Before leaving the house, the murderers stole another M-16.
The murderers returned to Awarta on foot and went to the home of Hakim's uncle, PFLP militant Salah E-Sin Awad, and informed him of what they had done. Salah helped them hide the stolen weapons and knives, burn their bloody clothes. During the investigation, it arose that various members of their families were extensively involved in helping them and were fully aware of what they had done.
After March 11, the murderers returned to their daily routines. Salah gave the stolen weapons to Jihad Abid, a resident of Ramallah, who hid them in his home. The latter was arrested on 14.4.11; the weapons were recovered.
Arrested as accomplices were:
* Salah Aladin Salim Awad - born in 1979, a PFLP militant, Hakim's uncle;
* Hassan Salim Awad - born in 1972, a PFLP militant, Hakim's uncle;
* Maazan Niyaz Awad - born in 1967, a PFLP militant, Hakim's father;
* Jihad Abid - born in 1979, friend of Salah Awad, who hid the stolen weapons for Salah; and
* Muhammad Said Awad - born in 1984, a PFLP militant, whom Hakim and Amjad asked to provide them with a weapon.
The investigation is ongoing.
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Office)
Following the 11.3.11 murders of five members of the Fogel family in the Samarian community of Itamar, the ISA, the IDF and the Israel Police began a joint operation to apprehend the murderers. During the operation, dozens of suspects from Awarta - approximately 2 kilometers southwest of Itamar - were detained for questioning. The investigation and intelligence efforts led to the arrest of two young men, residents of Awarta, who confessed to planning and perpetrating the murders, and reconstructed them:
Hakim Maazan Niyad Awad, born in 1993, a minor under Israeli law, was arrested on 5.4.11. A high school student, he is affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He was involved in the October 2010 stabbing of youths from Awarta; the motive was a personal dispute.
Awad's father, Maazan, is a PFLP terrorist who, in the late 1990's, served approximately five years in a Palestinian Authority prison in connection with the murder of his niece and the burning of her body.
Awad's uncle, Jibril Awad, was a PFLP terrorist who was killed in a December 2003 clash with IDF soldiers. He had been involved in the 20.6.02 terrorist attack in Itamar, in which Rachel Shabo (40) and three of her children (Avishai - 5, Zvika - 13 and Neria - 16), and their neighbor Yosef Twito (31), were murdered.
Amjad Muhammad Fawzi Awad, born in 1992, was arrested on 10.4.11. A student, he is affiliated with the PFLP. He had previously worked as a laborer in Israel.
Hakim and Amjad planned to perpetrate a terrorist attack in Itamar several days before March 11. To this end, they tried to acquire a firearm. They turned to Muhammad Said Awad (now under arrest), a PFLP militant in Awarta, and asked that he procure weapons for them; he did not do so.
On March 11, Hakim and Amjad set out for Itamar, armed with knives and tools to cut the perimeter fence and cover their tracks. They crossed from Awarta to Itamar and climbed/jumped over the fence. Once inside Itamar, they proceeded to approach the first row of houses. They broke into a home adjacent to the Fogel residence but found nobody inside. They stole an M-16, clips and a flak jacket. They exited the home and thereupon burst into the Fogel residence. Having spotted children while still outside, they murdered 11-year-old Yoav and 4-year-old Elad. The assailants thereupon entered the bedroom where the parents, Ruth and Udi, were sleeping with 3-month-old Hadas and murdered all three, following a struggle. Before leaving the house, the murderers stole another M-16.
The murderers returned to Awarta on foot and went to the home of Hakim's uncle, PFLP militant Salah E-Sin Awad, and informed him of what they had done. Salah helped them hide the stolen weapons and knives, burn their bloody clothes. During the investigation, it arose that various members of their families were extensively involved in helping them and were fully aware of what they had done.
After March 11, the murderers returned to their daily routines. Salah gave the stolen weapons to Jihad Abid, a resident of Ramallah, who hid them in his home. The latter was arrested on 14.4.11; the weapons were recovered.
Arrested as accomplices were:
* Salah Aladin Salim Awad - born in 1979, a PFLP militant, Hakim's uncle;
* Hassan Salim Awad - born in 1972, a PFLP militant, Hakim's uncle;
* Maazan Niyaz Awad - born in 1967, a PFLP militant, Hakim's father;
* Jihad Abid - born in 1979, friend of Salah Awad, who hid the stolen weapons for Salah; and
* Muhammad Said Awad - born in 1984, a PFLP militant, whom Hakim and Amjad asked to provide them with a weapon.
The investigation is ongoing.
======================
Katz told Army Radio, "To those Palestinians who said 'it can't be one of us' [who committed the crime], well it turned out to be one of you."
IDF: 2 Palestinians arrested in Fogel family massacre
Two Palestinian youths from the village of Awarta were arrested in recent days for the brutal slaying of five members of the Fogel family in their Itamar home last month, the IDF and Shin Bet said on Sunday following the lifting of a media ban on the investigation.
The suspects have been named as Hakim Maazan Niad Awad, an 18-year-old high school student, and Amjad Mahmud Fauzi Awad, 19, both from the West Bank village of Awarta, located 2 kilometers south of the settlement of Itamar.
The suspects have confessed to the stabbings and re-enacted the murders, security forces said on Sunday. According to Army Radio, they did not express remorse for their crimes.
Both men are affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP) terror group and received significant assistance from family members and friends after the attack, security forces added.
The suspects planned the stabbings days ahead of time. On the night of March 11, after unsuccessful attempts to obtain firearms from a local PFLP representative in their village, the two set out toward Itamar on foot, armed with knives, a wirecutter and masks to cover their faces.
After walking one kilometer, they reached the fence surrounding Itamar. After seeing that the fence was electric, the suspects decided not to use their wire cutters and instead climbed over it. They then climbed through a forest and over a hilltop before reaching a row of homes.
The suspects at first entered a home adjacent to the Fogel residence, but found that nobody was home. They stole an M-16 rifle from the home, ammunition and body armor, before walking on.
"They saw children sleeping in the home, and entered the Fogel family residence," the IDF said.
Immediately after entering the home, the youths set their knives on two young brothers sleeping in their beds, 4-year-old Elad and 11-year-old Yoav.
They then entered the parents' bedroom, where they launched a knife attack on Ehud and Ruth Fogel. The parents fought back, attempting to fend off the attackers. At that point, one of the suspects shot Ruth with a stolen M-16, at which point the two died of their wounds.
The two then left the house. One of the suspects, however, returned and stabbed to death three-month-old baby Hadas after she began crying in her crib.
According to Israel Radio, Amjad said that he was unaware that there were two other children in the house, and that if he had known, he would have stabbed them as well.
After completing the slaughter, the suspects walked back to the village and told Hakim's uncle, PFLP member Salah Adin Awad, what they had done.
Salah hid their firearms and instructed them to burn their clothes, which were covered in blood.
The youths then resumed their daily life, while Salah sent the weapons to a friend in Ramallah, Jad Avid, who hid the guns in his home.
The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), which led the investigation, said the attack was a premeditated terror attack carried out by suspects who have affiliations with the PFLP.
"They received much support from family members and friends in their environment," the Shin Bet added.
Several suspected accomplices are also under arrest.
The IDF has arrested and questioned dozens of suspects in Awarta in recent weeks.
"The intelligence operation and pooling of resources [between the army, police and Shin Bet] led to the arrests," a joint statement said.
IDF Spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich said: "The murders of five family members including a three-month baby constitute a clear war crime and a crossing of all red lines. The IDF has invested in numerous operational and intelligence efforts, and has worked closely with other security forces in order to find those responsible for this vicious murder."
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz on Sunday expressed his condolences once again to the Fogel family after the announcement of the arrests.
Katz told Army Radio, "To those Palestinians who said 'it can't be one of us' [who committed the crime], well it turned out to be one of you."
JPost.com staff contributed to this report.
The suspects have been named as Hakim Maazan Niad Awad, an 18-year-old high school student, and Amjad Mahmud Fauzi Awad, 19, both from the West Bank village of Awarta, located 2 kilometers south of the settlement of Itamar.
The suspects have confessed to the stabbings and re-enacted the murders, security forces said on Sunday. According to Army Radio, they did not express remorse for their crimes.
Both men are affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP) terror group and received significant assistance from family members and friends after the attack, security forces added.
The suspects planned the stabbings days ahead of time. On the night of March 11, after unsuccessful attempts to obtain firearms from a local PFLP representative in their village, the two set out toward Itamar on foot, armed with knives, a wirecutter and masks to cover their faces.
After walking one kilometer, they reached the fence surrounding Itamar. After seeing that the fence was electric, the suspects decided not to use their wire cutters and instead climbed over it. They then climbed through a forest and over a hilltop before reaching a row of homes.
The suspects at first entered a home adjacent to the Fogel residence, but found that nobody was home. They stole an M-16 rifle from the home, ammunition and body armor, before walking on.
"They saw children sleeping in the home, and entered the Fogel family residence," the IDF said.
Immediately after entering the home, the youths set their knives on two young brothers sleeping in their beds, 4-year-old Elad and 11-year-old Yoav.
They then entered the parents' bedroom, where they launched a knife attack on Ehud and Ruth Fogel. The parents fought back, attempting to fend off the attackers. At that point, one of the suspects shot Ruth with a stolen M-16, at which point the two died of their wounds.
The two then left the house. One of the suspects, however, returned and stabbed to death three-month-old baby Hadas after she began crying in her crib.
According to Israel Radio, Amjad said that he was unaware that there were two other children in the house, and that if he had known, he would have stabbed them as well.
After completing the slaughter, the suspects walked back to the village and told Hakim's uncle, PFLP member Salah Adin Awad, what they had done.
Salah hid their firearms and instructed them to burn their clothes, which were covered in blood.
The youths then resumed their daily life, while Salah sent the weapons to a friend in Ramallah, Jad Avid, who hid the guns in his home.
The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), which led the investigation, said the attack was a premeditated terror attack carried out by suspects who have affiliations with the PFLP.
"They received much support from family members and friends in their environment," the Shin Bet added.
Several suspected accomplices are also under arrest.
The IDF has arrested and questioned dozens of suspects in Awarta in recent weeks.
"The intelligence operation and pooling of resources [between the army, police and Shin Bet] led to the arrests," a joint statement said.
IDF Spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich said: "The murders of five family members including a three-month baby constitute a clear war crime and a crossing of all red lines. The IDF has invested in numerous operational and intelligence efforts, and has worked closely with other security forces in order to find those responsible for this vicious murder."
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz on Sunday expressed his condolences once again to the Fogel family after the announcement of the arrests.
Katz told Army Radio, "To those Palestinians who said 'it can't be one of us' [who committed the crime], well it turned out to be one of you."
JPost.com staff contributed to this report.
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Fogel tragedy turned nation into one family, says Peres
Abbas 'impatient' to know who carried out Itamar killings
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