Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Security forces nab suspect in killing of IDF soldier near Jenin in May

Nazmi Abu Bakr, 49, reportedly confessed to killing Staff Sgt. Amit Ben-Yigal, 21, during military operation in West Bank • Israeli premier orders suspect’s home razed.

IDF Sgt. First Class Amit Ben-Yigal was killed by a Palestinian terrorist on May 12, 2020, during an arrest raid in a Palestinian village in Judea and Samaria. Credit: Courtesy.
IDF Sgt. First Class Amit Ben-Yigal was killed by a Palestinian terrorist on May 12, 2020, during an arrest raid in a Palestinian village in Judea and Samaria. Credit: Courtesy.

Israel’s Shin Bet security agency cleared for publication on Sunday the arrest several weeks ago of a suspect in connection with the killing last month of an IDF soldier.

The suspect, identified as Nazmi Abu Bakr, 49, a resident of the West Bank village of Yabed, west of Jenin, confessed to the killing, and an indictment would be filed against him in a military court, according to the Shin Bet.

The arrest was carried out in conjunction with the military and Israel Police, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

Staff Sgt. Amit Ben-Yigal, 21, died on May 12 after a rock was thrown at his head during a military operation in Yabed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised security forces for apprehending Abu Bakr, and said he had ordered the military to raze his home.

“Anyone who tries to hurt us should know that we will get our hands on you sooner or later,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office.

This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.

Sam Raskin, a spokesman for the mayor, said that Mamdani talked to shoppers at Eichler’s and “heard directly from community members about the issues facing the neighborhood and how the administration can best support its residents.”
The diplomatic move comes as Israel presses for Hezbollah’s disarmament.
The Israeli defense chief vowed strikes on critical infrastructure, noting economic troubles could push Tehran into desperate measures after repeated defeats.
“Gloria was iconic,” Ruth Messinger, a former Manhattan borough president, told JNS. “This is a sad day for women.”