Bodies of kidnapped Israeli teens found in West Bank field

Marcy Oster

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The bodies of three kidnapped Israeli teens have been found in a field north of Hebron.

Israeli media announced at about 8:30 p.m. Monday that the families of Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel, and Eyal Yifrach had been notified of the discovery. The bodies have been positively identified.

It is believed that the bodies were dumped in haste and covered quickly. The teens were reportedly killed shortly after they were abducted on June 12.

The teens were last seen trying to get rides home from a junction in Gush Etzion, a bloc of settlements located south of Jerusalem.

One of the teens, Naftali Frenkel, is a dual American-Israeli citizen.

Israel’s Shin Bet security service and the Israel Defense Forces on Thursday identified two West Bank Palestinian men affiliated with Hamas, Amer Abu Aysha and Marwan Kawasme, as the alleged kidnappers. The suspects, who live in Hebron, have been missing since the June 12 kidnapping.