Israel names suspects in kidnapping of three teens
Israel names suspects in kidnapping of three teensHamas operatives
Amer Abu Aysha and Marwan Kawasme have been absent from their homes in Hebron since youths went missing
By Avi Issacharoff and Adiv Sterman June 26, 2014, 8:08 pm
via Israel names suspects in kidnapping of three teens | The Times of Israel.
Israeli authorities on Thursday named two West Bank Palestinians as prime suspects in the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank two weeks ago.
The two alleged abductors, Amer Abu Aysha and Marwan Kawasme, are both known Hamas members. They have been missing from their homes in Hebron’s Hares neighborhood ever since the kidnapping took place on the night of June 12 and are still at large. Israeli security forces have been engaged in a massive operation to find the abducted youths.
The identities of the suspected kidnappers, who attended prayer services regularly at the same mosque, have been known to Israel since soon after the kidnapping, but were kept secret as the search operation continued over the past two weeks. They are alleged to have been in the car in which Gil-ad Shaar, Eyal Yifrach and Naftali Fraenkel were abducted from a hitchhiking post near the settlement of Alon Shvut in the Eztion Bloc south of Jerusalem, Israeli officials said. Other members of their Hamas group have been arrested, the officials added.
Abu Aysha, a 32-year-old locksmith, was last seen at a family gathering only hours before the kidnapping, according to his father Omar, who spoke to The Times of Israel in Hebron several days ago. Abu Aysha’s father, Omar, who has spent time in an Israeli prisons for ties with Hamas, said that his son left the family gathering abruptly without offering any details as to his destination.
Abu Aysha’s brother Zayd, also a member of Hamas, was killed in November 2005 during a clash with IDF soldiers in Hebron. Abu Aysha’s mother told The Times of Israel that unlike Zayd, Abu Aysha was a family man who was deeply involved in the lives of his wife and three children. She said he had worked in Jerusalem as well as in Azaria, east of the city. She added that she too last saw Abu Aysha on Thursday, June 12, before the abduction, and said she did not notice anything unusual in his behavior.
However, Abu Aysha’s mother added, if her son did take part in the kidnapping, she was proud of him and hoped he would continue to evade capture, both by Israeli and Palestinian Authority security forces.
The second suspect, Kawasme, a 29-year-old barber who used to cut Abu Aysha’s kids’ hair, was detained by the Palestinian Authority and by Israel in the past. His family is known to be affiliated with Hamas. His uncle Abdullah Kawasme was the commander of the organization’s military wing in Hebron and was killed in a battle with SWAT officers in November 2003.
Hamas officials in Hebron confirmed the two suspects were members, and said Israeli troops have targeted the men’s homes since the beginning of the operation. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of fears for their safety, said troops had entered the homes several times, conducting intense searches and confiscating items as evidence.
A senior Palestinian intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said the two suspects are believed to be hiding and that Palestinian security forces were also searching for them.
Amer Abu Aysha’s wife, Ikarm, hold a picture of her husband, suspected in the kidnapping of three Israeli youths
He said the fact that the two men have been missing since the kidnapping is “clear evidence they have links with the abduction.”
Israel has blamed Hamas for the kidnapping of Fraenkel, Yifrach and Shaar, though the Islamist group has denied involvement. Thousands of Israeli troops have searched hundreds of locations in the West Bank and arrested some 400 Palestinians, many from Hamas, including some who were freed in a 2011 prisoner exchange for Hamas-kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
In recent days, search efforts have focused on an area north of Hebron, where some 1,500 soldiers have been deployed. Some areas are now being searched for the third and fourth time.
The IDF’s Chief of General Staff Benny Gantz said Tuesday that “as time passes, the fear grows,” but stressed that Israel’s working assumption is that the three Israeli teenagers are alive.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Explore posts in the same categories: UncategorizedTags: Anti Semitism, Hamas, IDF, Israel, PA, Palestinians
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
WarSclerotic 
June 27, 2014 at 12:29 AM
Nice kitchen , hamas pays good for kidnapping children or killing Israeli,s
June 27, 2014 at 12:32 AM
His wife whit his future martyr picture !
She looks sad, is see not willing to compete whit 70 virgins ??
June 27, 2014 at 12:37 AM
I know it that about the kitchen was not nice from , or not ??
Father of Hamas Kidnapper ‘Doesn’t Believe It’
Father of one of suspects blames Israel, admits son missing since kidnapping; he himself had been arrested for terrorism.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/182214
June 27, 2014 at 12:38 AM
Here the whole thing !
The father of one of the two Hamas terrorists named by the IDF on Thursday as being behind the abduction of three Israeli teens two weeks ago lost no time denying his son’s involvement.
The two terrorists are Marwan Kawasmeh (29) and Amar Abu-Eisha (33), both of whom have been arrested numerous times and are well known Hamas terrorists in the Hevron area. They are being tracked down by the IDF.
However, Omar Abu-Eisha, the father of Amar, claimed Thursday night to AFP that his son was not involved – he added that he had seen no trace of Amar since the night of June 12, when the boys were abducted.
It should be noted that Omar himself has been arrested numerous times for security offenses according to the IDF, and Amar’s brother was killed while committing a terror attack in 2005 against an IDF patrol.
Reenacting the night of the abduction, Omar told i24news “on Thursday, me and my son went to a wedding at 8 p.m. It was a wedding of a cousin.”
“Around 10 p.m., I asked ‘where’s Amar,’ and they told me he went home. Then we went to sleep. On Friday morning, it was impossible to find him…we don’t know what happened to him,” stated Omar.
It should be noted that a motorist saw Eyal Yifrah (19), Naftali Frenkel (16) and Gilad Sha’ar (16) at a hitchhiking stop at 10:05 p.m. that night, and at 10:25 p.m. police received an emergency call from one of the teens whispering “we’ve been abducted! We are being kidnapped.” The call was ignored by police who thought it was a prank call, a move that has raised a public outcry.
Given the two reported times, Amar has been missing since before the time of the kidnapping, which occurred just after 10 p.m.
Nevertheless, Omar insisted “the story of the abduction isn’t logical. I don’t believe all that.”
“Whether he was arrested by soldiers or became a tortured martyr, it’s the fault of the Israelis in any case. Now it’s in G-d’s hands, I can only pray in the meantime,” said the terrorist’s father.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded to the announced identities on Thursday, saying “we said all along that it was Hamas that was behind the kidnappings, and today our security officials released the names of some of the terrorists who planned and executed the kidnappings. There is no question about their identity or affiliation.”
Netanyahu went on to call on Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to end his unity deal with Hamas.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/182214
June 27, 2014 at 9:24 AM
June 27, 2014 at 8:41 PM
I hope your god scorches the earth they stand on,this is the most sickening and vile demonstration of Hamas and fatahs true colors,those boys could be my children’s or anyone’s <What kind of men plot this injustice,I cant believe how restrained your government has been,It shows how civilized a place israel is and what a lighthouse of freedom and democracy,