Ashkenazi: We will catch terrorists

Chief of staff arrives at scene of Hebron-area shooting attack, says, 'IDF working on number of leads'

Ronen Medzini|Published: 08.31.10 , 23:01

IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi arrived at the scene of Tuesday's shooting attack in which four Israelis were killed and said, "This is certainly a very serious incident, we all express our condolences for the families and the community of Beit Hagai. The IDF and security forces are working on a number of leads, and will continue to operate until we catch the terrorist."

Ashkenazi held a situation evaluation with Central Command Chief Avi Mizrahi and officials in the front. Simultaneously, security forces combed the area in search of the terror cell.

Judea and Samaria Commander Nitzan Alon said at a briefing at the scene that the shooting was carried out from a passing vehicle, and was most likely related to the start of peace talks in Washington.

Ashkenazi at scene of attack (Photo: Reuters)

"The elements that carried out the attack may have been from Hamas, and they may have been other sources. In recent days there has been increased preparation in the area… but unfortunately, we were unable to prevent the attack." He said the assailants did not confirm the victims were dead.

Central Command officers told Ynet they were not surprised by the attack. "This incident demonstrates how fragile and volatile the relative calm in Judea and Samaria is. Many terror organizations have the motivation to carry out terror attacks, and do not lack the capability," one source said.

Victims' car (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

As for the extensive security cooperation between the IDF and Israel Police and the Palestinian security forces, the source said, "The military activity is focused and arrests are carried out every day in order to foil such events. Freedom of movement in the front and good intelligence do help, but they cannot stop every gathering, and certainly not a relatively easy incident such as a shooting attack."

The IDF stressed that despite the serious blow served to Hamas infrastructure in the West Bank, the organization has not lost all its abilities and is capable of executing terror attacks.

The sources also mentioned the removal of checkpoints, and said it was a calculated risk that recently proved itself. "At this point it is too soon to start analyzing the matter. The situation in the territories is measured according to many parameters, and decisions are not made arbitrarily. Anything that is removed can be restored, and we will do this – if necessary."