The manhunt for Ashraf Na’alwa, the terrorist from Sunday’s shooting attack at the Barkan industrial zone, remains in high gear. Two IDF brigades and a battalion are conducting the manhunt, with assistance from Border Police forces, the Israeli Security Services and special forces. The troops have reportedly been instructed to regard Na’alwa as “armed and particularly dangerous,” and the rules of engagement in dealing with him should be applied accordingly. As part of the manhunt, which began immediately after the terror attack, the Israeli security forces made a wave of arrests across the northern West Bank, questioning the terrorist’s relatives and acquaintances. While a security camera clearly captured Ashraf Na’alwa fleeing the factory in the West Bank’ Barkan industrial zone, the terrorist’s mother Um Amjad Abu Shikhah continues to claim her son’s innocence. She was cited saying “What happened is that I woke up my son in the morning because he works in Israel (Israeli settlement), I served him the breakfast, he went to work and as usual we started the house work, then we received calls from people saying that they saw him (my son) in a video (from the attack scene) so I replied my son did not do anything. They asked me if there were any problems. I told them we don’t have any problems, there is nothing.” A senior Israeli security official revealed that a decision had already been made to demolish the home of the terrorist’s parents in the village Shweike, either completely or partially, as part of the government’s policy-measures against terrorists. To that end, the IDF Engineering Corps have already examined the house to prepare it for demolition.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated, during a dedication ceremony of an ancient synagogue on the Golan Heights, that the blood of Israeli citizens will not be spilled in vain, vowing to catch the terrorist and settle all accounts with him. In his words, “We grieve today as we part from Kim Yechezkel and Ziv Hajbi, may their memories be blessed. May God avenge their blood. We will catch the abhorrent murderer and we will settle accounts with him. The blood of Israeli citizens will not be spilled in vain.”