Second suspect in Fogel family murder pleads guilty

Amjad Awad, charged with murder of five members of Fogel family in Itamar massacre last March together with cousin Hakim, admits to crimes

Ahiya Raved|Published: 10.04.11 , 16:13

Awarta resident Amjad Awad, 19, who was charged with the murder of five members of the Fogel family in the Itamar massacre last March together with his cousin, Hakim, has admitted to the crimes ascribed to him – five counts of murder.

The judges in the Samaria Military Court sought to examine the primary evidence in the case before deciding whether to convict him by his own admission.

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Amjad was the mastermind behind the massacre. Together with Hakim he brutally murdered Ehud Fogel, 36, Ruth Fogel, 35, 11-year-old Yoav, 4-year-old Elad and 2-month-old Hadas. His cousin helped him by holding down the children and shooting Ruth after Amjad stabbed her.

Amjad Awad (Photo: Hagai Aharon)

Last month, the court sentenced Hakim, 18, to five consecutive life sentences and another five years in prison - a total of 130 years behind bars. In court, Hakim claimed that security forces had tied up and killed two residents from his village last year.

"I'm 18 and am going through puberty. Not every young man at this age thinks of murder, just a Palestinian man whose land has been occupied. This is what the State does to me every day. When I want to leave my village, I need to undergo a search that always includes being beaten."

Moments before the sentence was read out, Hakim Awad managed to say that he was not sorry and explained that he murdered the Fogels "because of the occupation". The judges said then that they avoided sentencing him to death "because it wasn't effective with those kinds of people".