Israel IDs Hamas adbuctors of Jewish teens

Special to WorldTribune.com

JERUSALEM — Israel has identified the abductors of three Jewish teenagers in the West Bank.

The Israel Security Agency (ISA) said Hamas operatives abducted three teenagers, including a U.S. citizen, near their school south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem on June 12.

Photos provided by Shin Bet, Israel's security service, shows Marwan Qawasmeh, left, and Amer Abu Aisheh.
Photos provided by Shin Bet, Israel’s security service, show Marwan Qawasmeh, left, and Amer Abu Aisheh.

ISA said both alleged abductors were working for Hamas in the nearby city of Hebron.

The alleged kidnappers were identified as Marwan Qawasmeh and Amer Abu
Aisheh, who served prison terms in Israel. In a statement on June 26, ISA did
not say where the suspects were located.

“The Israel Security Agency and the Israeli military have been carrying
out a wide-scale search aimed at capturing the wanted suspects,” ISA said.
“The first aim is to track down the location of the abducted youths.”

Qawasmeh, 29, was said to have been a member of Hamas’ military wing
in the West Bank and helped in recruitment. Abu Aisheh, 32, had been jailed
for six months in 2005 while his brother was killed in a battle with Israeli
troops.

Officials said dozens of relatives and friends of the two suspects were
arrested. They said Abu Aisha and Qawasmeh were identified as suspects
within 24 hours of the abduction.

“Following an extensive operation, Israel is holding several suspects in
custody for their direct involvement in the attack,” the Israeli military
said on June 26.

Some 5,000 Israeli soldiers searched the Hebron area for the teenagers.
Military sources acknowledged that they failed to obtain significant
intelligence, including whether the captives were still alive.

“The defense establishment has had difficulty in reaching the kidnapped
boys, dead or alive — and probably dead,” Israeli military analyst Amir
Rapaport said.

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