The IDF, Shin Bet, and Border Police arrested two Palestinians early Tuesday morning suspected of carrying out the shooting attack in which preschool teacher Batsheva Nigri, a mother of three, was murdered near Hebron on Monday, according to a joint statement by the security forces.
During initial questioning by Israeli security forces, the two Palestinians tied themselves to the attack. The weapon used in the attack was seized by Israeli forces after the arrest.
The arrest took place in the southern part of Hebron at their family’s home, although the family did not seem to have been aware of their terror activity prior to the arrest. It is still unclear if the suspects are tied to or received support from a terrorist organization.
Nigri, 42, was shot to death in front of her 12-year-old daughter on Monday morning on Route 60 in the West Bank after hitching a ride from her Beit Hagai home to nearby Kiryat Arba. Nigri’s daughter was unharmed and alerted emergency services.
The driver, Aryeh Gottlieb, 39, also of Beit Hagai, was in serious but stable condition from gunshot wounds after undergoing surgery at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.
The firearm seized by Israeli forces from Palestinians suspected of conducting a shooting attack near Hebron. August 22, 2023 (credit: ISRAEL POLICE)Defense Minister Yoav Gallant voiced his appreciation for Israeli security forces on Tuesday morning, vowing that the terrorists will “rot in prison for the rest of their lives.”
“We will use every tool at our disposal to strengthen security,” Gallant wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We will pursue and reach our enemies.”
הערכה ללוחמי צה״ל, ימ״מ ושב״כ על מבצע מהיר ומדוייק.המחבלים שרצחו באכזריות את בת שבע ניגרי ז״ל ינמקו בכלא לשארית חייהם. ננקוט בכל האמצעים כדי לחזק את הביטחון. נרדוף ונשיג את אויבנו.
— יואב גלנט – Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) August 22, 2023
‘I miss you and I will always miss you’
Nigri was buried Monday night at the Kfar Etzion cemetery.
“I heard three shots. The windows completely shattered and you were no longer conscious,” said Shirel Nigri, 12, as she eulogized her mother by recalling the moment of her death in the attack.
“You were the happiest person I know…You always said that your heart was wide and open to everyone,” Shirel said. “Mom, I want to give you one last hug. I miss you and I will always miss you. You are always in my heart. I know that you are watching over me, even when I cannot see you. You always looked after me.”
Tovah Lazaroff, Maya Zanger-Nadis, and Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.
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