Body of Druze Teen Stolen From Jenin Hospital

The body of a Druze high school student, an Israeli citizen, who was killed in a West Bank car crash, was stolen by armed Palestinian gunmen from a hospital in Jenin. Tiran Ferro, 18, from Daliat al-Carmel in northern Israel, entered the West Bank with another Israeli through the Gilboa Crossing and was involved in a car accident. His companion was taken to a military checkpoint and transferred to a hospital in Israel.

Ferro’s body was abducted from the Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin later on Tuesday. Palestinian media claimed falsely that he was an Israel Defense Forces soldier. The Palestinian Authority and the mayor of Jenin reportedly are negotiating with the gunmen in order to recover the body.

Early Wednesday, Israeli security forces closed the border crossings into the Jenin area until further notice, in an attempt to pressure the gunmen to turn over the body.

Also on Wednesday, Ferro’s father told Israel’s Channel 12 that his son was alive and in serious but stable condition when the gunmen entered the hospital. He said that the Palestinian abductors killed his son “in front of my eyes” before removing his body.

The gunmen, believed to be from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad-affiliated Jenin Brigade terrorist group, reportedly have demanded the release of several jailed Palestinian terrorists in exchange for the body.