Search Continues for Murderer of Dvir Sorek, Hy”d

IDF soldiers on Friday continued the search for the terrorists who murdered Dvir Sorek, Hy”d, early Thursday. The focus of the searches was in Gush Etzion, especially in the area around the village of Beit Fajjar. Large numbers of soldiers were on duty Friday in Yehuda and Shomron, as soldiers sought to prevent repeat or copycat attacks.

The army’s current evaluation is that Dvir was murdered and dumped outside Kibbutz Migdal Oz by a gang of three terrorists that was affiliated with one of the Gaza terror groups. The gang apparently separated after the murder and are now in hiding in separate locations.

Thousands attended the levayah for Dvir Thursday night in his home town of Ofra. Yoav Sorek, father of Dvir, said in his hesped that “in a few days Dvir would have celebrated his 19th birthday. I think about the 19 years we had with him and I cannot help but smile. His life increased love between man and his fellow man. He had such a unique personality that it was impossible not to be happy with him. We had a gift for almost 19 years, a gift that sent light throughout the family and beyond. We remain behind, absent and hurt. “

The hesped of Yoav Sorek and others was interrupted numerous times by the loud noises of fireworks being set off in a neighboring Arab village, witnesses said.

Dvir was a talmid at the Machanayim Hesder Yeshiva in Migdal Oz, in his first year of yeshivah and set to be inducted in the IDF next year. Friends told reporters that he had been out of the yeshivah Wednesday because he had gone to Yerushalayim to buy sefarim for his rebbeim as an end-of-year gift.