Reserve colonel beaten to death with axes and rods

Suspected terrorist attack in Northern Jordan Valley: colonel in the reserves Sherya ('Yaya') Offer hy"d - resident of the northern Jordan Valley settlement Brosh Habik'a, in his 50s , and one of the founders of the elite unit Shaldag, was beaten to death last night by unknown persons who broke into his house and attacked him with axes and iron bars . This is a small community that served as a village resort, until a decade ago.

In the event Ofer's wife, Monique, was injured after fleeing through the back door and being wounded during her flight. MDA team which was called to the scene evacuated the woman, 50, to the Ha'emek hospital in Afula, while suffering of a fracture in her leg.

The attackers fled the scene. It is estimated that the incident was on a nationalist background. IDF forces began searching for them. The ISA and police are working on the intelligence level. Other leads are being examined.

Investigation shows that the couple were sitting in their living room - and watching TV. Suddenly vandals broke into the place, armed with axes, objects and iron bars, and stormed on Ofer who tried to fight them with bare hands. His wife tried to help him, and at one point managed to escape through a back door. The woman said she heard at least two people talking to each other in Arabic.

She ran toward the Jordan Valley Road - Route 90, bruised and bleeding, after being hit in her flight, and tried to stop vehicles to call for help. A resident of the area who passed by, noticed the woman sprawled on the Jordan Valley road with signs of violence. She asked the driver who had stopped to call to the MDA. At around one in the morning the call was received by the MDA dispatcher who simultaneously alarmed the IDF.

Israel Selah, a senior medic of MDA and Moshe Dahan, MDA MICU paramedic who arrived first on the scene said that when they arrived they found the woman in the car, she was fully conscious.

"She was very upset and bruised in her limbs, we immediately gave her medical treatment and transported her to the ambulance. After treatment on the scene I evacuated her to Ha'emek hospital. She said she managed to escape and during her escape was injured. An IDF medical force which arrived at the same time, entered the house and took care of the man."

Housing Minister Uri Ariel commented this morning on Yaya Ofer's murder by Palestinians in the Jordan Valley settlement: "This was another murderous and low attack which proves once again that 'peace' talks are worth only 'victims of peace'. I demand that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu immediately stop the negotiations that bring nothing except shedding of Jewish blood."

Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin commented: "Palestinian terrorism raises its head with the encouragement of the incitement by the Palestinian Authority and its leaders." Elkin called on the Prime Minister to strengthen Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria, and to stop releasing terrorists in negotiations. "Again and again the Palestinians interpret our peace overtures as weakness and respond with murder. Only an 'iron wall' policy can curb the rising wave of terrorism."

MK Moti Yogev of the Jewish Home said: "There is an atmosphere of allowing Jewish blood, even by the PA, and certainly by terrorists. But also there is smoke in the air that is created by legal officials in Israel and anarchists who strengthen terrorists and outlaws of the Palestinians."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!