Israel has arrested three people as part of a manhunt for those responsible for a terror attack on Friday that killed a Jewish teenage girl and injured two members of her family.
The IDF, Israeli police and the Shin Bet security services “apprehended a number of suspects and transferred them to security forces for further questioning," an Israeli military spokesperson said on Saturday.
Palestinian sources later confirmed that three men had been arrested.
The attack was carried out at the Ein Buvin spring in the West Bank, near the Jewish settlement of Dolev.
An IED (Improvised Explosive Device) was reportedly planted at the scene and then triggered remotely when approached by Jews hiking in the area.
Rina Shnerb, 17, was killed in the attack, while her brother Dvir and father, Rabbi Eitan Shnerb, were wounded. Rina Shnerb was buried on Friday in her hometown of Lod.
The IDF’s Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Avi Kochavi, visited the site of the attack on Friday and confirmed that the army was working with the police and Shin Bet in a “coordinated, broad intelligence operation to locate the perpetrators of the murderous attack.”
He said he was “certain” those responsible would be found.
Rina celebrated her 17th birthday last week. Today, Palestinians celebrate her death.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 23, 2019
While hiking with her family, a bomb exploded, killing Rina & seriously injuring her brother & father.
Right now, Palestinians are handing out candies in celebration of Rina’s murder. pic.twitter.com/K2dYiDmGsM
This is not the first terror attack to have been carried out near Ein Buvin in recent years. In 2015, a Palestinian attacker shot two Israelis near the spring, killing one, Dani Gonen, and injuring the other.
Although no Palestinian group took responsibility for the attack, Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh praised the perpetrator of the attack as “heroic”, while emphasising that he did not know the identity of the person responsible.
