Bodies of three missing Israeli teens found near Hebron

World Today

The three young settlers went missing in the West Bank on June 12 [AP]

The Israeli army said that they have found bodies of the three missing teenage settlers near Hebron in the Occupied West Bank.

The Israeli military announced late on Monday that the bodies had been found. “The bodies are currently going through forensic identification. The families of the abducted teens have been notified,” the army said.

GFX MISSING ISRAELI TEENS

Bodies of three missing Israeli teens found near Hebron Update

The Israeli army said that they have found bodies of the three missing teenage settlers near Hebron in the Occupied West Bank.

The bodies had been buried in a field near the village of Halhul, just north of Hebron, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells a meeting of the security cabinet that the teenagers were “kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by animals”. He adds: “Our hearts bleed, the entire nation is crying with themWe will bring the boys to be buried in Israel. Hamas is responsible – and Hamas will pay. May the memory of the three boys be blessed.”

The Palestine Liberation Organisation’s Hanan Ashrawi was reported that the “Israeli escalation already took place, now they have an excuse of further escalation”.

However, Hamas has strongly denied any involvement in the abductions, and warned on Monday that any retaliatory attack by Israel would open “the gates of hell”.

The US State Department urged Israel and Palestine on Monday to exercise restraint while continuing security cooperation. White House spokesman Josh Earnest says: “We obviously condemn in the strongest possible terms violence that takes the lives of innocent civilians.Any harm that has been done to these teenagers is a tragedy.”

More than 400 Palestinians have been arrested since the three settlers went missing in the West Bank on June 12.