Israeli defense officials were increasingly convinced Monday that the brutal murder of a woman found near a settlement on the West Bank was a terrorist attack and people were expected to be arrested soon.
The body of Esther Hogan, a six-year-old mother, was found in a wood near her home in the early hours of Monday, after she was killed in a violent attack that left her skull broken. .
Esther Hogan was last seen going for a run in nearby woods on Sunday
( Photo: Gil Nehushtan)
Horgan left her home on Tal Menashe Sunday afternoon for a bog in a nearby forest and did not return, forcing her husband to call authorities.
Security forces launched a manhunt Monday morning in an attempt to find the perpetrator.
Hogan’s neighbor Silvie Ovadia, who was involved in the search for the missing woman, said searches for him began around 2pm on Sunday and lasted into the night.
“The whole community went out at night to look for her,” Ovadia said. “It was clear that something was not right, that something bad had happened.”
She said Hogan was “a very good woman, very sensible. If you asked her for anything she would always happen. She was a very calm, classy act.”
IDF soldiers investigate Esther Hogan’s murder area
(Photo: Ido Erez)
Hogan ‘s relatives, Haim Feldman, told Ynet that it took her family time to realize that something terrible might have happened to her.
“She’s used to walking a lot here in the area, sometimes with a friend, sometimes alone,” he said.
“No one else was home either, so it took a long time until it was clear she was missing.”
He said: “She was a happy woman, full of life, without fear of anything. She was taken from us harshly by wild animals.”
Police officers at the scene of the murder of Esther Hogan
(Photo: Ido Erez)
Defense Minister Benny Gantz vowed that Israel would find those responsible for her assassination.
“Israeli security forces are working to find and quickly arrest the despicable murderer,” he said. “We will never accept a reality where people’s lives are fragile.”