3 teens murdered: Our hopes dashed, we mourn in unity. ‘Hamas will pay,’ says PM

The bodies of the three kidnapped teens were found on Monday in a shallow grave under a pile of rocks in an open field between Halhul and Beit Kahil northwest of and near Hevron. It appears they were shot not long after they were kidnapped. The terrorists, it is conjectured, had planned to trade the bodies for incarcerated terrorist prisoners in Israeli jails.

For 18 days, Jews the world over prayed and rallied for the three boys Gilad Shaar, Eyal Yifrach, and Naftali Frankel, who were snatched from a popular hitchhiking spot near Alon Shvut in the Gush area of Judea. They were heading home to their families from school for Shabbat.

The IDF Kfir Battalion found the bodies. There are reports of clashes with Arabs in the area as the bodies were loaded into an ambulance and that rocks thrown by the Arabs smashed the windows of the vehicle.

Two notorious Hamas terrorist suspects, Marwan Kawasmeh and Amar Abu-Eisha, missing since the kidnapping, are being hunted for the crime. They and their families have a long list of terrorist activities.

Five police officials who were involved in dismissing the call by one of the boys alerting the police to the kidnapping as a “prank” were fired.

“They were murdered in cold blood by human animals,” said PM Binyamin Netanyahu. To the parents he said, “We are crying with you.”

“As we mourn, we must punish these terrorist criminals,” said Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Shuls in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway area and throughout the world scheduled special Tehillim gathering on Monday night. American Friends for a Safe Israel were to gather near the Israeli Consulate at 6 pm Monday for a memorial service.

Hashem yinkom damam. May their families be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.