Breaking: 2- 3 boys kidnapped, IDF raid rumored, rescue rumored UPDATED SEVERAL TIMES LIVEBLOG
The Israeli military has sent a large number of military reinforcements to the Hebron district in search of two missing Israeli settlers they fear may have been kidnapped, sources exclusive to Ma'an said Friday.Around 3:45 there was a rumor that the IDF had found the boys, killed five terrorists and wounded two, but the rumors have not been confirmed. The boys were apparently from Yeshivat Har Etzion in Alon Shvut and were on their way home last night when they were kidnapped.
Israeli forces raided a number of homes in the Sanjar area of Dura, a city southwest of Hebron, on Friday in search of the settlers after they disappeared from Hebron, sources told Ma'an.
The Israeli media has apparently still not reported on the incidents, but unofficial sources said that the two settlers disappeared Thursday evening.
The settlers were able to contact the army earlier Friday but the line of communication was reportedly cut. However, the army was able to identify the source of the call as being in the region of Sanjar.
...
Israeli forces had erected checkpoints at Halhul Bridge north of Hebron as well as in the village of Beit Kahil, northwest of Hebron, locals added.
A Palestinian security official told Ma'an that Israeli security forces said no such incident had occurred.
The official said that a car believed to have Israeli license plates was found on fire last night and that civil forces had extinguished the fire, suggesting that the car, which was a Hyundai A35, was related to the disappearance of the two settlers.
Eyewitnesses said Friday that Israeli special forces who were searching the area inspected the car and removed several objects.
Their names are Gilad Michael ben Bat Galim and Yaakov Naftali ben Rachel.
Keep praying.
UPDATE 4:58 PM
The incident is 'ongoing' and no further details are being shared according to a reliable source.
UPDATE 5:15 PM
Walla now reporting that three Jewish boys from Talmon are officially considered missing (link in Hebrew).
UPDATE 5:27 PM
Israel holds Palestinian Authority responsible for safety of missing Yeshiva teenagers. #Hebron
— Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) June 13, 2014
UPDATE 5:29 PMDr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: The IDF Spokesman just (17:19) said at a press conference that no details will be provided at this time as providing information would only interfere with operations]
Three settler teens missing in West Bank, IDF fears kidnapping Large-scale search conducted in Bethlehem and Hebron after missing settlers; option of abduction arose after their cell phones stopped broadcasting location signals at same location they were last seen.
Yoav Zitun, Itay Blumental YNET Published: 06.13.14, 17:09 / Israel News
http://www.ynetnews.com/
Israeli security forces have been scanning the Bethlehem and Hebron area on Friday after three yeshiva students went missing last night. Police was also checking whether there was a connection between a burnt car that was discovered near Hebron and the disappeared teens.
The Shin Bet and the IDF's Central Command are treating the teens' disappearance as a kidnapping by terrorists, because, among other things, their cell phones stopped broadcasting location signals at the same location they were last seen - between Kfar Etzion and the settlement Alon Shvut.
Large security forces were scanning open areas in Gush Etzion - on foot, by car and using advance observation devices.
Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported that Israeli security forces were combing through southern Hebron. According to the report, the army set up roadblocks in several spots, and IDF forces raided some houses and made a few arrests. At the same time, Israeli drones were reportedly seen flying over the southern part of Mount Hebron.
IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz instructed all relevant army units, including a unit dealing with hostage situations, to raise their level of alert and prepare for any scenario.
"The goal is to figure out what happened before they disappeared, to investigate our way backwards. So far, we haven't found any items belonging to the two out on the field," a senior army source said.
He added that the search was now focusing on the intelligence front, and that the IDF, Police and Shin Bet were holding a situation evaluation every few hours.
A relative of one of the missing teens said the families recieved an update from the IDF and police about the disappearance.
"He just disappeared, never made it home," the relative said. "His parents are worried, praying, hoping for the best. We're all praying this incident ends on the good side."
A spokesman for a settlement in which one of the missing teens resides said that during the night, when the son failed to return home and didn't answer his phone, his father reported him missing to the police. At the same time, family members were searching for the teen at his friends' houses.
"At 8 am we received texts. We were asked if we knew where the boy was and we were asked to wake up our children to see if he's staying over at one of the homes," the spokesman said.
At first the family members thought the teen had just forgotten his keys and went to sleep at a friend's house, as he had done before.
"As soon as we realized he was nowhere to be found, the atmosphere in the settlement became very grave. People were hiding in their homes... we opened an operations room to provide residents with information, and organized a mass prayer and read from the Book of Songs so this incident ends on a good side," the spokesman continued.
The spokesman added that yeshiva students often make the journey from Alon Shvut to the Gush Etzion junction and from there to Jerusalem, and onto the settlement via Shiloh junction.
The IDF is examining whether the teens tried to hitch a ride in the Etzion area, not far from the Gush Etzion junction, an area where many settlers hitchhike despite army warnings and repeated alerts on terror organizations planning to commit a kidnapping.
In recent weeks, the Shin Bet exposed several attempts by terror cells to kidnap Israeli soldiers or civilians in order to use them as a bargaining chip to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jail.
Roi Kais contributed to this report.
UPDATE 5:39 PM
RT @JudgeDan48: The English media insistence on labeling the 3 Israelis missing as "settlers" is meant to belittle the severity of it.
— Aussie Dave (@Israellycool) June 13, 2014
UPDATE 6:28 PMHere's an update from the IDF spokesperson.
Let's go to the videotape.
UPDATE 6:36 PM
If you have a Twitter account please retweet this:
3 Israeli children missing. Feared kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists to use as bargaining chips to free other terrorists @hrw @hrf @UN_HRC
— Gerald M. Steinberg (@GeraldNGOM) June 13, 2014
UPDATE 7:08 PM
According to my sources, two of the missing boys are 16 and one is 19.
One boy is US citizen
To kidnap three teens requires a terrorist team for logistics, one or more stolen Israeli cars, a team to grab the boys and a team to prepare a place to hide them.
This suggests a terrorist cell (Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad cell - maybe even Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade) and the 'Palestinian Authority' not acting against them.
Shabbat Shalom everyone.
Labels: Gush Etzion, Hebron, kidnapping, Palestinian terrorists, Sussya
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:49 PM
1 Comments:
please take your post down. there's a reason why it hasn't been reported
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