Hamas said 19-year-old Abdel Hamid Abu Srour carried out the bombing, which has raised fears that a new round of violence could include suicide attacks and bus bombings – hallmarks of the violent Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in the early 2000s. The settlers scrawled graffiti on the homes calling for revenge.
Advertisement
An IDF soldier has been arrested on suspicion of firebombing Palestinian homes in the West Bank, as part of a “Jewish terror network”.
The group, which included a soldier and two minors, allegedly tried to copy an arson attack that killed three members of a Palestinian family.
In the last six months, Palestinian attacks have killed 28 Israelis and two visiting USA citizens. According to an announcement by the Shin Bet internal security service on Wednesday, the suspects admitted under questioning that they attempted to attack Palestinian homes, threw molotov cocktails into Palestinian homes, set Palestinian cars on fire and threw rocks at Palestinian vehicles, among other actions.
Palestinian belief that Israel intends to change the status quo at the site where Jews are allowed to visit but not pray, has been behind much of the recent tension in the city, sometimes leading to clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.
“We will discover who prepared this explosive charge, we will reach those who sent them and those behind them, we will hold these terrorists accountable”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the attack.
One of the women, Shlomit Krigman, 24, later died from her wounds.
Israeli authorities have been investigating Tuesday’s bombing that wounded 21 people, for which there has been no claim of responsibility.
As of Friday, six Israelis remained hospitalized, including several who are still unconscious and using respirators to breathe.
The execution of the wounded Palestinian was caught on tape by a Palestinian videographer, identified as Emad Abu Shamsiyya, who since then started receiving death threats from many Israeli fanatics, for exposing this crime to the world.
Or Bondy, a 25-year-old newlywed and another victim of the blast, was also left burned and could barely walk at first.
Advertisement
The current round of bloodshed was triggered in September by unrest at a major Jerusalem shrine revered by both Muslims and Jews, and quickly spread to Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza border. Palestinians seek the territory for an independent state.
