IDF DETAINS 14 YEAR OLD FORCED TO GO ON SUICIDE MISSION

Boy pressed to carry out attack
IDF forces and Shin Bet agents detained a 14-year-old Palestinian at his Nablus home Tuesday night, after receiving an intelligence tip the boy was planning to carry out a suicide attack in Israel. The story was cleared for publication Wednesday morning.

The boy initially refused to carry out the attack, but members of the Tanzim terror organization apparently pressured him and convinced him to perpetrate the attack. Meanwhile, forces also arrested several other wanted terror suspects across the West Bank.

In his interrogation, the boy said a wanted Tanzim terror suspect from the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, Rabia Abu Leil, asked him to carry out the attack. The youngster attempted to evade the request to blow himself up by arguing he is an only child. However, the pressures on him continued, and another terror suspect, Jamal Tarawi, also joined in and attempted to convince the boy to strike in Israel.

The boy was then taken by the terrorists to an apartment where other terror suspects were staying. There, he was photographed with flags and weapons. After he begged to be let go, he was threatened with murder and told the terrorists will distribute a leaflet accusing him of collaboration with the IDF. When he was asked to write a will, the youngster said he cannot read or write, but eventually wrote the will by himself. Later, he was photographed again, this time wearing a flak jacket and holding a gun and a Quran.

The boy was eventually released, and then turned to his relatives and asked that they help him avoid carrying out the attack.

Security officials said the latest incident is not isolated, and noted that since the beginning of the year they have seen a marked increase in the number of minors recruited for the purpose of carrying out attacks and military activity, despite the relative lull in violence.

The cynical phenomenon of using children is particularly used by Tanzim terror suspects in Nablus, the officials said.