Fogel family: Murder heinous, hate bottomless

Family members of Itamar massacre victims speak out following release of murder investigation findings. 'There is no consolation,' says Ruth's brother as both sides seek to protect surviving children

Yair Altman|Published: 04.17.11 , 15:49

After the Passover Seder and holiday, Haim and Tzilla Fogel will spend the holiday week with their orphaned grandchildren Yishai, Roi and Tamar. "Going back to our regular personal lives and raising the surviving children," says Tzilla.

It now appears that their lives will be able to regain some semblance of normality sooner rather than later with the solving of the investigation into the massacre of five members of the Fogel family in Itamar and the arrest of the killers.

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Tzilla wished to thank the security forces for capturing the murderers – two teens from the Palestinian village of Awarta. "I believe that their job isn't done, they will find anyone who had any connection with the case and not just the loathsome killers. I can't say we're happy, because that word isn't suitable at this time."

Udi's father Haim Fogel said that "there is no doubt that the arrest of the murderers touches the heart". According to Fogel, "we knew it would touch the nation, we thought it would do more but from our perspective, we closed a circle.

"This is a heinous murder of bottomless hate that is simply impossible to understand. Going into a family home and murdering people is something that only those who have it instilled in them from babyhood can do."

Murdered Fogel family gravesite (Photo: Noam Moskowitz)

Meanwhile, Ruth Fogel's brother, Yochai Ben Yishai told Ynet: "We are very proud of the State and the security services. But on a personal level, there is no consolation, the pain remains sharp."

Yishai added that "the capture of he murderers gives us a sense of satisfaction on a national level but we must get to a point where these people are deterred before they take action and not just apprehended after the murder."

Another one of Ruth's brothers, Elichai Ben Yishai also discussed the revelations, saying that the arrest of the terrorists who killed his sister does not comfort him. "What we lost cannot be brought back, even if the killers were caught," he said.

"Ehud, Ruth and their children were representatives of the State of Israel," he said. "They died in the name of God, for Israel. We expect the state to do what is right to bring back the national pride and to prevent such incidents from happening again."