Attributed To Security sources: During a joint operation of IDF, Police and GSS forces the Israeli citizen Eliahu Gorel, was safely rescued from his Palestinian kidnappers.
Gorel was rescued around midnight Tuesday night from a pit ten meters deep, after two of his kidnappers were captured hours earlier by a special police force, led IDF forces to the hideout. The kidnappers of Eliahu Gorel: * Ahmed Bajes Hajaj, born 1978, a resident of Beit Rima, a PFLP operative who had been jailed in the past in Israel. * Ramez Abed Rimawi, born 1982, resident of Beit Rima. * Samir Rimawi, born 1980, resident of Beit Rima, a student of the” Abu Dis” college. * Shirin Faik Sheik Halil, female, born 1985, originally from Gaza, lived as an illegal resident in Lod, engaged to Ahmed Hajaj. Halil was arrested on the night of Saturday, July 12, 2003. The affiliation of the kidnappers with a terrorist organization is unclear. The Kidnappers have been taken in for questioning. The Kidnapping: The lead in the investigation began with the arrest of Shirin Halil who admitted in taking part of the kidnapping of Gorel, giving the following details during her questioning. On the afternoon of Friday July 11, 2003 Ms. Halil met her fianc? Ahmed Hajaj and Ramzi Rimawi. The three hailed Gorels taxi in Lod and asked him to drive to Jerusalem. During the trip Hajaj pulled a knife on Gorel and the three kidnappers bound Gorel. The kidnappers than drove the taxi to Beit Hanina, where they abandoned the Taxi car and continued by foot to a restaurant in Ramallah. Form there they took Gorel to a brick factory in Bitunia, where they spent Friday night. On Saturday they continued with Gorel on foot to a hilly area near Ramallah, where they hid Gorel in a cellar underneath a building under construction. Gorel was rescued from this cellar over night. The aim of the kidnappers was to bring about the release of 2000 Palestinian prisoners. When Ahmed Hajaj was arrested a document was found on him which included the names of the Palestinian prisoners the kidnappers wanted freed, among them: * The terrorist involved in the assassination of the late tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi jailed in a PA prison in Jericho ( Hamdi Koran, Ahmed Saadat, Ahad Ulma, Majdi Rimawi and Basel Al Asmar) * Marwan Bargouti head of the Tanzim in the West bank. * Hassan Yusef Halil, a senior Hamas terrorist jailed in Israel. * Hussan Abu Quwaik a senior Hamas operative in Ramallah jailed in Israel. * Abdallah Bargouti, a senior Hamas terrorist, and explosive device expert, who was responsible for the murder of 60 Israelis in the past year. * Other terrorists are responsible for the killing of Israelis over the past three years.
