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| A group known as the "Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades of Imad Mughniyeh" claimed responsibility for the attack; the ] denied any association with the group or the attack.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=211909|title='Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claims responsibility for attack'|date=13 March 2011|work=]|accessdate=13 March 2011}}</ref> According to an initial Israeli probe, the attack was carried out by Palestinian terrorists who infiltrated the settlement by jumping over its security fence.<ref>, Israel News12-03-2011</ref> The killings may have been a revenge attack for the killing of two Palestinian teenagers from the nearby Palestinian village of Awarta last year.<ref name=latimes/> | A group known as the "Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades of Imad Mughniyeh" claimed responsibility for the attack; the ] denied any association with the group or the attack.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=211909|title='Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claims responsibility for attack'|date=13 March 2011|work=]|accessdate=13 March 2011}}</ref> According to an initial Israeli probe, the attack was carried out by Palestinian terrorists who infiltrated the settlement by jumping over its security fence.<ref>, Israel News12-03-2011</ref> The killings may have been a revenge attack for the killing of two Palestinian teenagers from the nearby Palestinian village of Awarta last year.<ref name=latimes/> | ||
| The attack was harshly condemned by the ],<ref name="ynetgaza"/> the ], the ], the ], ], ] and the ]. UK Foreign Secretary ] called it "an act of incomprehensible cruelty and brutality". | The attack was harshly condemned by the ],<ref name="ynetgaza"/> the ], the ], the ], ], ] and the ]. UK Foreign Secretary ] called it "an act of incomprehensible cruelty and brutality". The killings sparked celebrations in the Palestinian city of ], where residents hit the streets and handed out candy and sweets.<ref name=ynetgaza> | ||
| ==Incident== | ==Incident== | ||
Revision as of 09:55, 13 March 2011
| Itamar attack | |
|---|---|
| Location | Itamar |
| Date | March 11, 2011 (GMT+2) |
| Target | Israeli settlers |
| Attack type | Stabbing attack |
| Weapons | Knife |
| Deaths | 5 (3 children) |
| Perpetrator | A Palestinian militant group known as the "Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades of Imad Mughniyeh" claimed responsibility for the attack |
The 11 March 2011 Itamar attack was an incident in which five members of a family were stabbed to death in their beds in the Israeli settlement of Itamar in the West Bank. The victims included the father, mother and three children, the youngest of whom was a three-month-old infant.
A group known as the "Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades of Imad Mughniyeh" claimed responsibility for the attack; the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades denied any association with the group or the attack. According to an initial Israeli probe, the attack was carried out by Palestinian terrorists who infiltrated the settlement by jumping over its security fence. The killings may have been a revenge attack for the killing of two Palestinian teenagers from the nearby Palestinian village of Awarta last year.
The attack was harshly condemned by the Palestinian Authority, the United Nations, the Quartet on the Middle East, the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague called it "an act of incomprehensible cruelty and brutality". The killings sparked celebrations in the Palestinian city of Rafah, where residents hit the streets and handed out candy and sweets.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
The perpetrator is believed to have first entered an empty home, and then entered the Fogel home through the living room picture window. They did not notice the 6-year old boy sleeping on the couch. They then proceeded to the bedroom, where they slit the throats of the father and three-month old baby as they were sleeping. The mother was stabbed to death as she emerged from the bathroom, with evidence showing that she attempted to fight them off. They then entered the bedroom of the 11-year old son, and slit his throat as he was reading in bed. They then stabbed the 3-year old twice in the heart, but did not notice the 2-year old boy asleep in his bed. Exactly two hours after the infiltration, another warning signal emanated from the same spot on the fence, but it too was not identified after the infiltration.
The bodies were discovered by the 12-year-old daughter of the family who arrived home around midnight after a youth outing. After finding that the door was locked, she asked her neighbor, Rabbi Ya'akov Cohen, for help. He noticed tracks and mud near the house, and brought a weapon with him. The two then woke the sleeping 6-year old boy by calling through the window, and he opened the door, after which Cohen returned to his home. When the girl discovered the murders, she ran outside screaming, and the Rabbi ran back, firing several shots into the air to alert security personnel. Rabbi Cohen, who had entered the house with the girl, said that her two-year-old brother "was lying next to his bleeding parents, shaking them with his hands and trying to get them to wake up, while crying... The sight in the house was shocking."
Paramedics followed a trail of toys and blood to the bedroom, where they discovered the first three bodies: the mother, father and their 4-month-old infant. In the next room they found the body of the 11-year-old sibling. Finally they reached the last bedroom, where the 4-year-old boy was dying. The toddler died of his wounds despite the efforts of medical personnel.
Victims
- Udi Fogel, 36, father of the family, a rabbi and IDF tank unit officer
- Ruth Fogel, 35, mother of the family
- Yoav Fogel, 11
- Elad Fogel, 4
- Hadas Fogel, 3 months.
The family was survived by 3 additional children, who were being cared for by grandparents in the aftermath of the attack.
Israeli response
Shortly after the discovery of the murders, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Police deployed forces to the village, and began intensive searches to see if the trackers were still in Itamar. At 3:30 AM, IDF scouts discovered footprints leading to the Palestinian village of Arvata. Israeli Air Force UAVs continued aerial reconnaisance operations to locate suspects.
Israeli authorities declared the nearby West Bank city of Nablus a closed military zone, set up checkpoints and prevented vehicles and pedestrians from leaving the city, according to Palestinians. The previously-dismantled Huwwara Checkpoint was re-established.
IDF troops entered Burqa village in northern Nablus, searching houses and questioning residents. They did not make any arrests. IDF soldiers also entered the villages of Awarta, Sanur, and Zabada, arresting several dozen suspects.
Large Israeli military and police forces were deployed near Nablus to prevent clashes between Jewish settlers and Palestinians after the killings.
Israeli authorities believe the attack was either carried out by Palestinian militants, or else was a revenge attack for the killing of two Palestinian teenagers from the nearby village of Awarta a year ago, who were shot dead while collecting garbage near the settlement. Tensions between the two localities have been mounting in recent weeks. According to Awarta's mayor, Itamar was established in 1984 on land previously controlled by Awarta. In spite of the recent tensions, Awartans condemned the Itamar attack.
Reactions
- International
United Nations: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office published a statement saying, "The Secretary-General condemns last night's shocking murder of an Israeli family of five, including three children, in a West Bank settlement. He calls for the perpetrators to be brought to justice, and for all to act with restraint."- Quartet on the Middle East representative Tony Blair said, "this brutal and appalling murder is shocking and deplorable," and sent his "deepest condolences and sympathy to those remaining members of the family and to the community."
France: Foreign Minister Alain Juppe condemned the attack and said France "condemns all acts of violence in the occupied territories and calls for maximum restraint in order to prevent deterioration in the situation."
Germany: Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle condemned the "cruel and heinous" slayings, saying "nothing can justify such attacks."
United Kingdom: Foreign Secretary William Hague said, "The friends and relatives of the family killed in Itamar have my deepest sympathies. This was an act of incomprehensible cruelty and brutality which I utterly condemn. We hope the perpetrator is swiftly brought to justice."
United States: White House spokesman Jay Carney said, "There is no possible justification for the killing of parents and children in their home. We call on the Palestinian Authority to unequivocally condemn this terrorist attack and for the perpetrators of this heinous crime to be held accountable." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "I was shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the brutal murder of an Israeli family. The United States condemns this appalling attack in the strongest possible terms. To kill three innocent children and their parents while they sleep is an inhuman crime for which there can be no justification."
- Israeli
- President Shimon Peres said, "This is one of the ugliest and most difficult events that we have known, the murder of parents with their small children - among them a three-year-old boy, and a five-month-old baby girl - while they were sleeping in their beds. It shows the loss of humanity... There is no religion in the world, no faith that allows for such horrendous acts."
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas it was not enough to condemn the violence because it "is against Palestinian interests" but because it is morally unacceptable. "I expect that you stop the incitement in the schools, school books and mosques, and educate your children toward peace, as we do The murder of children in their sleep is murder for the sake of murder."
- Palestinian
The Palestinian Authority's Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, said he "clearly and firmly denounces the terror attack, just as I have denounced crimes against Palestinians.":
"We are against all types of violence," Fayyad said during a tour in Bethlehem. "Our position has not changed. As we have said many times before, we categorically oppose violence and terror, regardless of the identity of the victims or the perpetrators."
Hamas, the group that governs the Gaza Strip, did not claim responsibility, but stated that the incident was a Palestinian "revenge" attack on Israelis and argued that Palestinian factions "have the full right... to use all tools and means of resistance" against Israel.
The killings sparked celebrations in the Palestinian city of Rafah, where residents handed out candy and sweets on the streets. A resident described the celebrations as "a natural response to the harm settlers inflict on the Palestinian residents in the West Bank." Residents of the Palestinian village of Awarta however, who have clashed with settlers from Itamar for a number of years, denounced the killings.
See also
References
- ^ Fogel family identified as victims of Itamar terror attack, Jerusalem Post 12-03-2011
- Five members of Jewish family killed in suspected Palestinian militant attack, Guardian 12-03-2011
- Five Israelis killed in West Bank attack -military, Reuters 12-03-2011
- Palestinian 'kills five Israelis' in West Bank, BBC 12-03-2011
- "'Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claims responsibility for attack'". Jerusalem Post. 13 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- Itamar attack probe: 2 terrorists jumped over fence, Israel News12-03-2011
- ^ Brutal West Bank killings shock Israel, stir fears of renewed violence, LA Times 13-03-2011 Cite error: The named reference "latimes" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Gaza celebrates; Fayyad condemns terror attack, Israel News 12-03-2011
- Terror attack probe: Killer entered through window, Israel News 12-03-2011
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
guactwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - Ben Gedalyahu, Tvzi. "Victims Indentified as Family of Rabbi Fogel of Yeshiva Itamar". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- Cite error: The named reference
arutzwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Israeli army closes Nablus city after deadly stabbing, Xinhua 12-03-2011
- 'Blue-and-white' operation to apprehend terrorists Jerusalem Post
- IDF hunting for perpetrators of brutal Itamar killings Jerusalem Post
- Israeli troops scour West Bank villages for killers of 5 Jewish settlers, Washington Post 12-03-2011
- UN Secretary-Generals condemns 'shocking' Itamar murder, Israel News 12-03-2011
- ^ PM promises to bring Fogel family killers to justice, Jerusalem Post 12-03-2011
- Hague calls Itamar attack 'act of incomprehensible cruelty', Jerusalem Post 12-03-2011
- U.S. calls on Palestinians to condemn murder of Israeli family, AFP 12-03-2011
- Clinton says Itamar attack 'inhumane crime', Israel News 12-03-2011
- Peres condemns attack on Itamar family, Israel News 12-03-2011
- Palestinian takes revenge, kills 5 settlers, Al-Qassam, 12-03-2011
External links
- Photos of the aftermath (extremely graphic)