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Arsonists torch synagogue in Gush Etzion region

It’s the second attack in two years on the town of Givat Sorek. A police investigation is underway.

View of the Jewish settlement of Karmei Tzur in Judea near Hebron, which neighbors Givat Sorek. Credit: Gershon Elinson/Flash90.
View of the Jewish settlement of Karmei Tzur in Judea near Hebron, which neighbors Givat Sorek. Credit: Gershon Elinson/Flash90.

The synagogue in the town of Givat Sorek, adjacent to the community of Carmei Tzur in Judea’s Gush Etzion region, was burned down by arsonists on Tuesday night.

The attackers hurled firebombs at the building, burning it down. No injuries were reported.

This is not the first time the community’s place of worship was targeted. A little more than two years ago, Palestinian terrorists entered the synagogue, piled up the Torah scrolls and holy books, and lit them on fire.

The synagogue overlooks the site where the bodies of Jewish teenagers Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar and Naftali Fraenkel were found after they had been abducted and murdered by Hamas-affiliated Palestinian terrorists in June 2014.

The 2016 burning raised an outcry from government officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who vowed to track down the perpetrators.

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“Following the strike, secondary explosions were identified, confirming the presence of weapons,” the military said.