IDF, Israel Police and Border Police forces, with the Civil Administration in the liberated territories carried out a large-scale operation in the village of Qusra overnight Thursday, arresting 20 wanted persons in relation to the lynch mob attack on a group of Israeli children on a Bar Mitzvah hike last Thursday outside their village.
According to eyewitnesses, dozens of rioters participated in the lynch attempt. The rioters threw stones and rolled boulders downhill at the children, pushing them and their two supervising adults back down the rocky slope, exposing them to danger both by stoning them and by causing them to slip and fall on the dangerous slope.
The group’s adult escorts were forced to fire deterrent shots in the air, which did not deter the terrorists for long, and they continued to attack the group viciously. At one point the rioters even managed to reach one of the adults and grabbed his weapon. He later received medical treatment for his injured face. An Arab man, 48, was killed in the confrontation.
They detainees are also suspected of participating in the violent riots that took place this week in and outside the village, against a group of civilians touring the area of last week’s attack, and against the accompanying IDF forces.
All the suspects were transferred to Israel Police for interrogation.
During the operation in the village, IDF forces located the personal equipment taken from the travelers.
The IDF spokesman stated that “the security forces will continue to act to protect the security of civilians in the area.”