An IDF prosecutor filed indictments against seven Palestinians in the murders of Danny Gonen and Malachi Rosenfeld in June. One terrorist had been released in the 2011 Shalit deal.
Palestinian terrorists freed in the Shalit deal celebrate. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
Seven Palestinians were indicted Monday for their role in two terrorist attacks that resulted in the deaths of Danny Gonen and Malachi Rosenfeld. One of the defendants, Ahmed Najar, is a Hamas operative who was released as part of the deal in 2011 to free kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Najar lives in Jordan and is being tried in absentia.
According to the IDF prosecutor for Judea and Samaria, Najar ordered the terrorist attack that killed Rosenfeld and provided the funding. Rosenfeld and three friends were shot near the community of Shvut Rachel on June 28 as they were leaving a basketball game. Najar’s brother, Amjad, planned the attack and purchased weapons together with three other terrorists. They are currently in Israeli custody. The shooter, however, is in the custody of the Palestinian Authority. Rosenfeld died of his injuries the following day.
The alleged shooter in the other attack, which also took place in June, is Muhammad Abu Shaheen. Shaheen was involved in several failed shootings, going back at least to April 2014, before killing Gonen and wounding his friend. The victims were flagged down while driving near the community of Dolev and then shot at point-blank range.
Police investigate the murder of Danny Gonen. (Flash90)
Both terror attacks conform to the changing face of Palestinian terrorism. Unlike during the Second Intifada, recent attacks have been planned and carried out by local cells. The terrorists have gone after small targets in Judea and Samaria rather than high-profile targets within the Green Line.
Since Saturday, three stabbing attacks carried out against IDF soldiers occurred in Judea and Samaria. The first took place at a checkpoint on Highway 443. A terrorist asked one of the soldiers manning the checkpoint for a glass of water and then stabbed him when he turned to get it. Later the same day, another soldier was stabbed in the back at a checkpoint near Nablus (Shechem). On Monday morning, a terrorist feigned illness at the Tapuach Junction checkpoint, then stabbed a police officer who approached to assist him.
By: Sara Abramowicz, United with Israel