A PALESTINIAN from annexed east Jerusalem was kidnapped and killed early on Wednesday in a suspected act of revenge for the murder of three Israeli youths, army radio reported.
The radio said the youth was seen being forced into a car in the Arab eastern half of the city.
His body was found several hours later in another part of the city, the radio said, describing it as a “suspected revenge attack.”
Three Israeli teenagers were snatched from a road in the southern West Bank on 12 June and their bodies were found on Monday in a murder Israel has blamed on the Islamist Hamas movement.
They were buried on Tuesday after a day of emotionally-charged funerals.
Israel police said they were investigating reports of a kidnapping and confirmed finding a body but refused to say whether the two incidents were connected. They did not give details on the victim’s identity.
“In the early hours of Wednesday morning, police received a report of a person being forced into a car in Beit Hanina,” said police spokeswoman Luba Samri, referring to a well-heeled east Jerusalem neighbourhood.
“Within an hour, a body was found in Jerusalem that has still not been identified. We are looking to see if there is a connection between the two incidents.”
Quoting witnesses, army radio said a black car had stopped next to a youth who was hitchhiking and he was forced inside. The car then took off.
Some time later, the family of the youth, who is understood to be around 16, reported him missing, it said.
Outside the home of the youth in Shuafat, which is very close to Beit Hanina, a large crowd of angry Palestinians were hurling stones at police, who were responding with sound bombs.
The body was discovered in a forest in Givat Shaul in southwest Jerusalem and police have sealed off a large area around the neighbourhood.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say