The body of an Israeli soldier was found with stab wounds near a Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early on Thursday, the Israeli military said.
According to an army statement, Israeli troops and police officers were searching the area near the Gush Etzion settlement bloc — located south of Jerusalem — where the body was found in the “early morning hours.”
Army spokesperson Lt.-Col. Jonathan Conricus said that the soldier was a student in a pre-military Jewish seminary program and was neither armed nor in uniform. He said the military was investigating the circumstances of his death.
The soldier was later identified as 19-year-old Dvir Sorek, from the settlement of Ofra. His remains were found near the military seminary where he studied in the West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying that security forces were “in pursuit now in order to capture the despicable terrorist and bring him to account.”
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin offered his condolences and said the security forces were “pursuing the murderers and will not rest until we find them.”
“Our prayers this morning are with the family of the murdered soldier and our hearts grieve for the life cut short,” Rivlin said. “We fight terrorism without compromise to ensure the security of our people.”
Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The Palestinians claim the territories as part of a future state.
Most of the international community considers Israel’s West Bank settlements illegal and an obstacle to creating a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel considers the territories “disputed,” and says the fate of the settlements should be determined through negotiations, which have been moribund for years.