Death of Soldier's Killer Sparks Outrage Over Terrorist Releases in Israel

Maher Younes, 68, a Palestinian terrorist who murdered Israeli soldier Avraham Bromberg from Zichron Yaakov, died on Sunday in the village of Arrara. Younes had been released three years ago after serving 40 years in prison alongside his cousin Karim Younes for the nationalist-motivated killing. Following a reported heart event, Younes was taken to Hillel Yaffe Hospital where doctors declared his death.

Avraham Bromberg's nephew, Avi Bromberg, a resident of Zichron Yaakov, has long expressed frustration over the release of terrorists holding Israeli blue identity cards who return to live within Israel's pre-1967 borders, often near the families of their victims. He condemned Younes's death outside prison walls as a "moral stain" and a "resounding failure of the state's systems," emphasizing that such leniency toward internal enemies humiliates bereaved families and invites further terrorism.

Avi Bromberg criticized the current reality where convicted murderers with Israeli citizenship remain free among the population despite recent Knesset legislation allowing for their deportation. He called for immediate enforcement of citizenship revocation and expulsion laws for all convicted terrorists, especially those already released.

The original attack occurred when Corporal Avraham Bromberg was hitchhiking near Nahal Hadera junction on the Golan Heights, en route to a Hanukkah party for his battalion. Armed terrorists from the Fatah Abu Nidal faction, including Maher and Karim Younes, shot him in the head and left his body by the roadside. The two cousins were among the oldest security prisoners until Sami Younes, their uncle and cell commander, was freed in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.

Sami Younes had commanded the cell that carried out the attack and continued to supply weapons to Fatah in the territories until his release. His return to Arrara was celebrated by supporters waving Palestinian flags. The case highlights ongoing tensions over the treatment of Israeli Arab terrorists and the impact on victims' families.