The two men responsible for killing three Israelis and wounding multiple others last Thursday were detained on Sunday; At least one of the men confessed to carrying out the attack; As many as 800 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel partook in the search.
The two young men responsible for murdering three Israelis last Thursday were arrested over the weekend after being found hiding not far from Elad, where the attacks took place. In addition to the three men killed, multiple others were seriously injured. As’ad Yousef As’ad al-Rifa’i and Subhi Emad Sbeihat murdered three Israeli men in the ultra-Orthodox town of Elad last week using an ax and a knife, avoiding capture for two and a half days. In the video, al-Rifa’i confessed to the attacks.
The three men who were killed, Yonatan Havakuk, Boaz Gol, and Oren Ben Yiftah – all ranging between 30 and 40 years of age – leave behind their spouses and a total of 16 children.
Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai praised the arrest. He stated, “The hunt for the terrorists is over. The intense activity immediately after the incident and the flooding of the area with hundreds of policemen and soldiers, along with the means we used, forced them to hide in the area and led us to find them.”
Several Israeli organizations partook in the hunt for the two terrorists, including Shin Bet, Israeli Police, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). As many as 800 IDF Personnel were involved.