Military Court hands life sentences plus 50 years to terrorists behind Beit Hagai attack; victims awarded NIS 3.4 million in compensation.
The Military Court sentenced Mohammad and Saqar Shantir on Tuesday for committing the deadly shooting attack near Beit Hagai in the Hebron Hills in August 2023.
In the attack, the terrorists murdered Batsheva Nigri, a kindergarten teacher and mother of three. In addition, Aryeh Gotlieb, a 40-year-old father of six from Beit Hagai who was with her in the vehicle, was severely wounded.
According to the indictment papers, the terrorists planned the nationalist motivated attack for months. They contacted Hamas operatives to receive funding to purchase a weapon, and on the night of the attack, went to the scene with three ammunition cartridges and opened fire on Nigri’s vehicle.
The 28 bullets killed Nigri on the spot and severely wounded Gotlieb. After hearing the parties’ arguments for punishment, the Military Court accepted the Military Prosecutor General’s petition and sentenced the terrorists to life plus 50 years in prison.
In addition, the defendants were ordered to compensate the victims a sum of 3,400,000 NIS.
The ruling stated that “extreme severity is found in the fact that the defendants acted through ideolistic and nationalist motives, which demands severe punishment.” In addition, it noted that the sanctity of life was most severely violated.
The Military Prosecutor General accompanied the murdered victim’s family and the other victims throughout the legal process, constantly updating them and assisting them with the rights granted to them by the law.
The IDF stressed that it will continue to work for the security of the residents of Judea and Samaria and bring all those who harm it to justice.
