Two terrorists believed to be responsible for the murder of British-Israeli citizens Lucy, Maia and Rina Dee were killed by Israeli forces in a joint Israel Securities Agency (ISA), Israel Border Police and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) counterterrorism operation early Thursday morning.
The Hamas terrorist operatives, named as Hassan Katnani and Maed Mitsri, were killed alongside Ibrahim Hura, a third senior operative who aided them, in a raid in Nablus, West Bank. They were shot in an exchange of fire at their hideout, where two M-16 rifles and an AK-47 were later found.
Maia, 20, and Rina, 15, died at the scene on 7th April after Palestinian gunmen opened fire on their car in the northern Jordan Valley as they travelled to Tiberias for a family holiday. Their mother Lucy, succumbed to her wounds on 10th April.
The family donated Lucy’s organs to five recipients, one of whom was Lital Valanci who received a new heart. Lital met Lucy’s surviving daughters, Keren and Tali, this week, where they were able to hear their mothers’ heart.
Speaking to Kan Radio, after the terrorists responsible for his family’s deaths were killed, Lucy’s husband, and father to Maia and Rina, Rabbi Leo Dee said: “We thank the security forces and are happy that no soldier endangered himself, it was important to me and my family”. “I told the Shin Bet that if they were alive, we would like to ask them why they did it? What is their desire? What is their vision for a better world and for the future of their children? Now I asked the Shin Bet that because they were dead, we wanted to talk to their parents and ask them the same question”.
Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant said: “Just as I promised Leo Dee, Israel’s defence establishment will reach any terrorist that harms our citizens”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “thank[ed] the security agencies and our brave soldiers who worked night and day to settle accounts with the murderers”.
