Body of Druze Teen Stolen From Jenin Hospital Returned to Family
The body of a Druze teenager snatched from a hospital in Jenin by Palestinian gunmen was turned over to his family by the Palestinian Authority. The Israel Defense Forces announced on Thursday morning that Tiran Ferro’s body was transferred to his family early on Thursday, which would have been the high school senior’s 18th birthday. His funeral will take place later in the day in the Druze-majority town of Daliyat al-Karmel.
On Tuesday, Ferro entered the West Bank with another Israeli through the Gilboa Crossing and was critically injured 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 gunmen, believed to be from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad-affiliated Jenin Brigade terrorist group as well as other Palestinian terror groups, reportedly demanded the release of several jailed Palestinian terrorists in exchange for the body.
A senior IDF officer told Israeli reporters that there were no negotiations with the terrorists and that Israel only asked the Palestinian Authority to effect the return of the body.
Ferro’s father and uncle told Israeli media outlets that he was alive – in serious but stable condition after several surgeries – when taken by the gunmen. They say that he died after the gunmen disconnected him from a ventilator
“The whole family is very grateful to everyone that contributed to the process of resolving this crisis and bringing back Tiran’s body so that we can say goodbye to him in a dignified way,” Ferro’s uncle, Edri, told Israeli news channels.
