Amos Harel, Chaim Levinson
Haaretz
April 11, 2011 - 12:00am
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-on-verge-of-breakthrough-in...


Israeli security forces believe that there will soon be a breakthrough in the investigation into the Itamar murders, in which five family members were stabbed to death in their home.

On Sunday, Israel Defense Forces soldiers arrested more Palestinian suspects in Samarea in the West Bank, after dozens were already taken in for questioning regarding the Itamar murders.

Earlier this month, terrorists entered the West Bank settlement of Itamar and murdered Ehud and Ruth Fogel, along with three of their young children, including their three-month-old baby, before fleeing the scene.

Since the murders a month ago, the IDF and the Shin Bet has arrested dozens of residents of the village of Awarta, which is located near the West Bank settlement of Itamar. Several suspects were released following a brief investigation, and others are still undergoing investigation.

Residents of Itamar on Sunday marked 30 days since the murder of the Fogel family. They laid the cornerstone of a new building intended for Torah study, named after the head of the family Ehud Fogel. While they gathered at the construction site, IDF soldiers from special army units were operating in the nearby town of Awarta.

Since the early morning hours, GOC Central Command Avi Mizrahi imposed a curfew on the town but it was not fully enforced. The IDF operation included searches of homes and arrests. In one of the homes, the soldiers broke down the windows with stun grenades, sinks were smashed, mattresses were ripped, and large barrels of oil were spilled on the floor. The male residents of the home were taken for investigation.




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