Court remands two suspects in murder of Galilee teenage girl
16-year-old Yara Ayoub, ‘loved by all,’ to be buried Tuesday night in Arab village of Jish, a day after she was found dead
The Nazareth Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday extended the remand of two suspects in the murder of 16-year-old Yara Ayoub.
The teen, from the Arab village of Jish in the Upper Galilee, was found dead late Monday near her village, five days after she went missing.
Police identified the primary suspect in the murder as a 28-year-old man from the village of some 3,000. He also faces charges of kidnapping and obstruction of the investigation. The second suspect, 54, is believed to have aided the first after the crime was committed.
Both suspects saw their remand extended on Tuesday until December 5.
Ayoub’s family has scheduled her funeral for 10 p.m. on Tuesday in her home village.
“I miss my precious daughter,” Ayoub’s father told the Ynet news site on Monday. “Ask about her in the village. You won’t find anyone who has anything bad to say about her.”
A friend, Karin Issa, told the site that Ayoub “was very good and kind. We all loved her.”
The 28-year-old suspect has denied the charges against him. In a statement Monday, his attorney said that police have linked him to the crime because they believe he was the last person who made contact with Ayoub.
“I believe that upon completion of the investigation he will be released home,” the lawyer asserted.
Ayoub was last seen on November 21 at 5 p.m. when she went to a bakery in Jish.
Police have not released details of the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and death, and have placed a gag order on much of the investigation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced he would chair a new ministerial committee dedicated to combating violence against women, and called for “much more” to be done to counter the phenomenon in Israel.
Speaking to the cabinet on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women after visiting a women’s shelter, Netanyahu noted the increase in violence against women in Israel in recent years, calling it “a criminal phenomenon” and promising stricter enforcement.
