2011 Itamar attack
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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.[1][2][3][4]
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian Fatah, claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it a "heroic operation".[5] The killings sparked celebrations in the Palestinian city of Rafah, where residents hit the streets and handed out candy and sweets.[6] According to an initial Israeli probe, the attack was carried out by Palestinian terrorists who infiltrated the settlement by jumping over its security fence.[7]
The attack was harshly condemned by 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".
Incident
According to an initial probe, the terrorist or terrorists who carried out the attack cut the fence surrounding the settlement and entered the home of the victims through the window.[8]
Two other children were also in the home, but escaped harm by hiding.[9]
The murders were discovered by a 12-year-old daughter of the family who arrived home around midnight after a youth outing.[9] A neighbour who 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."[5]
Paramedics followed a trail of toys and blood to the first three bodies: the mother, father and their 4-month-old infant, stabbed to death in their bed. 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 fighting for his life. The medics worked unsuccessfully to resuscitate the toddler.[9]
Victims
- Udi Fogel, 36, father of the family
- 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,[1] who were being cared for by grandparents in the aftermath of the attack.[5]
Israeli response
Israel 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.[10]
The Israel Defense Forces entered Burqa village in northern Nablus and started searching houses and questioning residents. They did not make any arrests.[10]
Israeli troops deployed in the West Bank to prevent friction between Jews and Palestinians after the killings.[11]
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."[12]- 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."[13]
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."[13]
Germany: Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle condemned the "cruel and heinous" slayings, saying "nothing can justify such attacks."[13]
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."[14]
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."[15] 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."[16]
- 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."[17]
- 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."[13]
- Palestinian
- Fatah, the group that controls the Palestinian National Authority, released a statement by its militia, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, in which it claimed responsibility for the killings. The statement said the "heroic" operation was a "natural response to massacres committed by the occupation against our people in the Gaza Strip and West Bank." It added that the perpetrator managed to return safely to his base.[18]
- 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.[19]
See also
References
- ^ a b 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
- ^ a b c Binyamin Netanyahu calls on world to act after killing of Jewish settlers, Guardian 13-03-2011
- ^ Gaza celebrates; Fayyad condemns terror attack, Israel News 12-03-2011
- ^ Itamar attack probe: 2 terrorists jumped over fence, Israel News12-03-2011
- ^ Terror attack probe: Killer entered through window, Israel News 12-03-2011
- ^ a b c Brutal West Bank killings shock Israel, stir fears of renewed violence, LA Times 13-03-2011
- ^ a b Israeli army closes Nablus city after deadly stabbing, Xinhua 12-03-2011
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c d 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, AFP12-03-2011
- ^ [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4041246,00.html Clinton says Itamar attack 'inhumane crime'], Israel News 12-03-2011
- ^ Peres condemns attack on Itamar family, Israel News 12-03-2011
- ^ PA FM says no evidence of Palestinian involved in killings, Jerusalem Post 13-03-2011
- ^ Palestinian takes revenge, kills 5 settlers, Al-Qassam, 12-03-2011
External links
- Photos of the aftermath (extremely graphic)