Killer of Palestinian Teen Muhammad Abu Khdeir Dies in Prison

Yosef Haim Ben David, who was convicted of murdering Palestinian teenager Muhammad Abu Khdeir, died on Thursday at the age of 42. He passed away in a hospital after falling ill inside Sharon Prison. The Israel Prison Service confirmed his death but did not disclose details of his medical condition, citing privacy.

According to available information, Ben David experienced a cardiac event in prison. Medical staff initially revived him, but his condition deteriorated, leading to his transfer to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Ben David, from Jerusalem, was serving a life sentence plus 20 years for the crime.

Muhammad Abu Khdeir, a 16-year-old from the Shuafat neighborhood of East Jerusalem, was abducted on July 2, 2014, while on his way to pre-dawn prayers. Investigations revealed that Ben David and two underage relatives kidnapped Abu Khdeir, forced him into a car, beat him, and suffocated him until he lost consciousness. Initial autopsy results showed head injuries, and the final findings concluded that his death was caused by severe burns.

The murder occurred one night after the funerals of three Israeli teenagers, Naftali Fraenkel, Gil-Ad Shaer, and Eyal Yifrach, who were kidnapped and killed in June 2014. Abu Khdeir's killing was seen as an act of revenge for the deaths of the Israeli youths and preceded Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip.