Bat Ayin ax attack
Encyclopedia
The Bat Ayin axe attack was a Palestinian
militant attack which occurred on 2 April 2009 in the West Bank
, when Moussa Tayet attacked a group of Israel
i children with an axe
and a knife
, killing 13-year-old boy Shlomo Nativ and seriously wounding 7-year-old boy Yair Gamliel, in the Israeli settlement of Bat Ayin
.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, as did two obscure Palestinian groups. On 14 April, Israeli security forces arrested Tayet, of Khirbet Safa
; he later confessed to the killing. Israeli authorities stated that Tayet had no links to any organized militant groups.
Palestinian Islamist group Hamas
, the de-facto governing authority in the Gaza Strip
, described the attack as "a reaction to the continuing occupation and the continued building of settlements", while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
condemned it.
, located between Jerusalem and Hebron
, apparently unhindered; while most Israeli settlements are surrounded by security fences, Bat Ayin residents had refused to build one, saying it would be a sign of weakness.
The assailant proceeded to attack a group of children with a pickaxe and a knife. He killed 13-year-old Israeli boy Shlomo Nativ and fractured the skull of 7-year-old boy Yair Gamliel, seriously wounding him. A third boy escaped. Emergency rescue workers who arrived at the scene stated that Nativ had managed to run into a house, leaving behind a trail of blood, but died of his injuries despite attempts to resuscitate him.
45-year-old resident Avinoam Maymon, a passerby who saw the assailant running after the younger boy, wrestled the axe away from him. Witnesses reported that the attacker acted wildly and continued to attack passersby before fleeing the area. Gush Etzion Regional Council Mayor Shaul Goldstein said Bat Ayin's security squad shot at the man, but he managed to escape, leaving the pickaxe behind.
Nativ was buried in Kfar Etzion
that evening.
A little-known Palestinian militant group calling itself the "Martyrs of Imad Mughniyeh" also claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that Palestinian Islamic Jihad was also involved. Imad Mughniya was a Hezbollah commander killed in Syria in 2008. But Israeli defense officials believed the group is merely a name used by other Palestinian militant groups to avoid Israeli reprisals.
A previously unknown Palestinian militant group calling itself "the Palestine Strugglers Army" also claimed to have orchestrated the attack.
, after receiving information he was hiding in Beit Ummar
, located south of Bethlehem
.
During questioning, Tayet confessed to the killing and re-enacted the incident from the planning stage until he fled the scene. He stated that he had committed the act for religious reasons, adding that he had wanted to be a martyr and had written a will 10 days before carrying out the attack. Tayet also led the investigators to the weapons he had hidden in the field after the killing and handed over the knife he used in the attack.
Israeli officials stated that Tayet had no links to any organized militant groups
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
issued a statement saying he viewed the attack with "utmost gravity," and directing the security services to take all steps necessary to apprehend the murderer.
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
militant attack which occurred on 2 April 2009 in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, when Moussa Tayet attacked a group of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i children with an axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
and a knife
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
, killing 13-year-old boy Shlomo Nativ and seriously wounding 7-year-old boy Yair Gamliel, in the Israeli settlement of Bat Ayin
Bat Ayin
Bat Ayin is a village and an Israeli settlement and in Gush Etzion, on the edge of the Judean hills in the West Bank, between Jerusalem and Hebron. It is administered by the Gush Etzion Regional Council...
.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, as did two obscure Palestinian groups. On 14 April, Israeli security forces arrested Tayet, of Khirbet Safa
Khirbet Safa
Khirbet Safa is a Palestinian village located twelve kilometers north-west of Hebron.The village is in the Hebron Governorate Southern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the village had a population of 1,105 in mid-year 2006....
; he later confessed to the killing. Israeli authorities stated that Tayet had no links to any organized militant groups.
Palestinian Islamist group Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, the de-facto governing authority in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, described the attack as "a reaction to the continuing occupation and the continued building of settlements", while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
condemned it.
The attack
A Palestinian man entered the West Bank settlement of Bat AyinBat Ayin
Bat Ayin is a village and an Israeli settlement and in Gush Etzion, on the edge of the Judean hills in the West Bank, between Jerusalem and Hebron. It is administered by the Gush Etzion Regional Council...
, located between Jerusalem and Hebron
Hebron
Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
, apparently unhindered; while most Israeli settlements are surrounded by security fences, Bat Ayin residents had refused to build one, saying it would be a sign of weakness.
The assailant proceeded to attack a group of children with a pickaxe and a knife. He killed 13-year-old Israeli boy Shlomo Nativ and fractured the skull of 7-year-old boy Yair Gamliel, seriously wounding him. A third boy escaped. Emergency rescue workers who arrived at the scene stated that Nativ had managed to run into a house, leaving behind a trail of blood, but died of his injuries despite attempts to resuscitate him.
45-year-old resident Avinoam Maymon, a passerby who saw the assailant running after the younger boy, wrestled the axe away from him. Witnesses reported that the attacker acted wildly and continued to attack passersby before fleeing the area. Gush Etzion Regional Council Mayor Shaul Goldstein said Bat Ayin's security squad shot at the man, but he managed to escape, leaving the pickaxe behind.
Nativ was buried in Kfar Etzion
Kfar Etzion
Kfar Etzion is a religious Israeli settlement and kibbutz located in the Judean Hills between Jerusalem and Hebron in the southern West Bank. It has a population of 400 and falls under the jurisdiction of Gush Etzion Regional Council...
that evening.
Claims of responsibility
Less than an hour after the attack, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.A little-known Palestinian militant group calling itself the "Martyrs of Imad Mughniyeh" also claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that Palestinian Islamic Jihad was also involved. Imad Mughniya was a Hezbollah commander killed in Syria in 2008. But Israeli defense officials believed the group is merely a name used by other Palestinian militant groups to avoid Israeli reprisals.
A previously unknown Palestinian militant group calling itself "the Palestine Strugglers Army" also claimed to have orchestrated the attack.
Suspect
On the evening of 14 April, Israeli security forces captured alleged perpetrator Moussa Tayet, a 26-year-old Palestinian resident of Khirbet SafaKhirbet Safa
Khirbet Safa is a Palestinian village located twelve kilometers north-west of Hebron.The village is in the Hebron Governorate Southern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the village had a population of 1,105 in mid-year 2006....
, after receiving information he was hiding in Beit Ummar
Beit Ummar
Beit Ummar is an Arab town located eleven kilometers northwest of Hebron in the Hebron Governorate. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2007, the town had a population of 13,348 inhabitants. Over 4,800 residents of the town are under the age of 18...
, located south of Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
.
During questioning, Tayet confessed to the killing and re-enacted the incident from the planning stage until he fled the scene. He stated that he had committed the act for religious reasons, adding that he had wanted to be a martyr and had written a will 10 days before carrying out the attack. Tayet also led the investigators to the weapons he had hidden in the field after the killing and handed over the knife he used in the attack.
Israeli officials stated that Tayet had no links to any organized militant groups
Statements
A Hamas spokesman described the attack as "a natural reaction ... especially against the backdrop of Israeli attacks. We are a people occupied, and it is our right to defend ourselves and to act in every way and with every means at our disposal in order to defend ourselves."Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
issued a statement saying he viewed the attack with "utmost gravity," and directing the security services to take all steps necessary to apprehend the murderer.
External links
- Cleared for publication: Bat Ayin terrorist arrested - published on YnetYnetYnet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
on April 26, 2009 - Teen killed in West Bank terror attack - Ppublished on YnetYnetYnet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
on April 2, 2009 - Israeli youth killed in West Bank pickax attack - published on MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
on April 2, 2009 - Israeli child killed in West Bank - published on BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
on April 2, 2009 - Palestinian kills Israeli teen with pickax - published on Washington Times on April 2, 2009
- Memorial to Shlomo Nativ, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs