Hamas member Yosuf abu Zaghah, 20, is said to have attacked Israeli forces as they made arrests in the West Bank city of Hebron following the discovery of the Israeli boys' bodies yesterday evening.
Although it is yet to provide evidence, Israel has blamed Hamas for their teenagers' deaths, and has vowed to make the Islamist organisation pay - launching dozens of air strikes and detonating explosives in the homes of one of the men it considers to be a chief suspect in the murders.
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Funeral: Palestinians carry the body of Yosuf
abu Zaghah, 20, who was shot dead after allegedly throwing a grenade at
Israeli troops carrying out an arrest raid in the West Bank this morning
Yosuf abu Zaghah is the first Palestinian casualty since the bodies were found. His funeral took place today
Force: A huge ball of fire is seen following an
Israel airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza in the early hours of this
morning. Israel has vowed to 'make Hamas pay' following the deaths of
three teenagers
Aggresive crackdown: Israeli soldiers (pictured)
have since arrested a number of Palestinians linked to the Islamist
group Hamas in the West Bank since the boys deaths
Tensions have soared since the bodies were found, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blaming Hamas and warning it 'will pay', while militants in Hamas-controlled Gaza have stepped up rocket attacks, drawing Israeli retaliatory airstrikes and risking a wider conflict.
Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Fraenkel, a 16-year-old with dual Israeli-American citizenship, were abducted on June 12 while hitchhiking home from the Jewish seminaries where they were studying near the West Bank city of Hebron.
The teens' bodies were found yesterday evening after 18 days of intense searches.
Later there were reports in Israeli media that the vehicle carrying the boys' bodies away from the scene was forced to stop after its windscreen was shattered by Palestinians throwing stones.
A photograph of a battered Humvee-type vehicle with broken windows and covered in white paint has been widely shared online.
A Defense official said based on the investigation that the teens were shot soon after they were abducted. He spoke anonymously in line with protocol as the investigation is still ongoing.
Hamas, which has kidnapped Israelis in the past, has praised the abduction of the teenagers but not taken responsibility for it.
Tragedy: The bodies of Naftali Frenkel, a
16-year-old with dual Israeli-American citizenship, and two Israeli
teenagers have been found two weeks after their disappearance
Great loss: Naftali Frenkel and Gilad Shaar,
(left), both aged 16, and Eyal Yifrah, 19, (right) disappeared during a
late-night hiking trip near a Jewish settlement
In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri warned Israel against any broad offensive against the group, saying it would 'open the gates of hell' on Israel.
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon issued a statement this morning vowing to find those behind the killings.
'We see Hamas responsible for the kidnappings and murders. We will continue to pursue the murderers of the teens and will not rest until we lay our hands on them,' he said.
Mr Zaghah, who was killed in the early hours of this morning while police carried out a raid, is the first casualty of the increased tension between Israelis and Palestinians.
A military spokesman meanwhile said aircraft struck 34 targets across Gaza overnight after more than 20 rockets were fired into Israel since late Sunday from the Palestinian territory.
In an operation codenamed 'Brother's Keeper,' Israel dispatched thousands of troops across the West Bank in search of the youths, closed roads in the Hebron area and arrested some 400 Hamas operatives throughout the territory.
Within hours of the teenagers' bodies being
found, the Israeli army set off a huge explosion in the home of one of
the suspects Amar Abu-Eisha. Here Abu-Eisha's relatives inspect the
damage to the property
Both Amer Abu-Eisha and his co-suspect Marwan
Kawasmeh appear to have gone missing, with Israel claiming they are on
the run. In the early hours of this morning, Israel's army detonated a
large device in the former's home (pictured) causing extensive damage
Location: Israeli soldiers stand near the area
where the three Israeli teenagers' bodies were found yesterday. The
rural track is just outside the village of Halhul, a few miles north of
the West Bank city of Hebron
Now that the boys' bodies have been found,
Israel has threatened to 'make Hamas pay' for their deaths. Israeli
soldiers (pictured) have since arrested a number of Palestinians linked
to the Islamist group in the West Bank
The
boys’ disappearance while hitchhiking a fortnight ago triggered one of
the country’s biggest ever manhunts.
Now the grim find near the city of Hebron seems certain to increase Israel's aggression against the Palestinian militant group, which has its power base in the Gaza Strip
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri warned against escalation, saying that if Netanyahu 'brings a war on Gaza, the gates of hell will open to him.'
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning, Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to United States, said: ‘For the last 18 days we have been praying that these boys were returned safe and sound and it has hit the country hard to find out that they were kidnapped and murdered.
‘We have had rockets fired at us so I wouldn’t have said it is retaliation. This is a Hamas action and it was perpetrated by Hamas. Hamas calls for the murder of Jews worldwide and now it’s done this. Israel’s government has made the decision to protect its population,' he added.
‘Hamas
has not taken responsibility for its actions. But they are celebrating
on the streets, praising it and calling for more and more
kidnappings...‘We are talking about a terrorist organisation. It is no
different to ISIS or Al Qaeda,' Mr Dermer went on to day.
‘I’m sure the United States will support us in fighting terrorism. They are doing it thousands of miles away, we are doing it on our doorsteps,' he added.
Israel has released no further details on its missile targets, but in recent weeks has repeatedly hit launch sites and weapons storage areas in similar attacks.
There have been no immediate reports of casualties.
Netanyahu, who earlier yesterday held Hamas responsible for the new rocket strikes from Gaza, convened his security cabinet to consider moves against the Islamist group, which has neither confirmed nor denied Israel's allegations about the kidnapping.
The senior ministers ended their late-night session without taking any final decisions and plan to reconvene later on Tuesday, a government official said.
'Netanyahu's threats against Gaza and against Hamas do not frighten us,' the movement's Gaza-based leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was quoted as saying by its Al-Quds television station.
Now the grim find near the city of Hebron seems certain to increase Israel's aggression against the Palestinian militant group, which has its power base in the Gaza Strip
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri warned against escalation, saying that if Netanyahu 'brings a war on Gaza, the gates of hell will open to him.'
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning, Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to United States, said: ‘For the last 18 days we have been praying that these boys were returned safe and sound and it has hit the country hard to find out that they were kidnapped and murdered.
‘We have had rockets fired at us so I wouldn’t have said it is retaliation. This is a Hamas action and it was perpetrated by Hamas. Hamas calls for the murder of Jews worldwide and now it’s done this. Israel’s government has made the decision to protect its population,' he added.
Suspects: The Israeli Defense Force had named
Marwan Kawasmeh (right) and Amar Abu-Eisha (left) as the teen's
kidnappers in an announcement made last Thursday. They are still
allegedly on the run
Destroyed: Relatives of Amer Abu Eishe - a Hamas
member named by Israel as one of the two prime suspects in the
teenagers' murder - inspect his house in Hebron after it was blown up
by Israeli army this morning
Shattered: A relative inspects the house of Amer
Abu Eishe - a member of the Islamist group Hamas, who is one of two men
suspected of killing the boys. The Israeli air force destroyed Eishe's
property this morning
Relatives: Family members gather outside the
house of Amer Abu Eishe after it was virtually destroyed by an explosion
detonated by the Israeli army in the early hours of this morning
Discovery: Israeli soldiers patrol close to the area where the bodies of the three Israeli teenagers were found
‘I’m sure the United States will support us in fighting terrorism. They are doing it thousands of miles away, we are doing it on our doorsteps,' he added.
Israel has released no further details on its missile targets, but in recent weeks has repeatedly hit launch sites and weapons storage areas in similar attacks.
There have been no immediate reports of casualties.
Netanyahu, who earlier yesterday held Hamas responsible for the new rocket strikes from Gaza, convened his security cabinet to consider moves against the Islamist group, which has neither confirmed nor denied Israel's allegations about the kidnapping.
The senior ministers ended their late-night session without taking any final decisions and plan to reconvene later on Tuesday, a government official said.
'Netanyahu's threats against Gaza and against Hamas do not frighten us,' the movement's Gaza-based leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was quoted as saying by its Al-Quds television station.
Palestinians inspect the family home of one of
the teenage boys' alleged abductors after Israeli troops set off an
explosion on the top floor of the property in Hebron this morning
Taking control: Fire fighters and a crowd of
Palestinians inspect the blown-up house of Amer Abu Aisheh - one of two
Palestinians identified by Israel as suspects in the killing of three
Israeli teenagers
Crowds: Palestinians gather outside the
destroyed house of Amer Abu Aisheh following an explosion detonated by
Israeli army in the early hours of this morning
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