Shin Bet probing suspected murder of prison guard in his home

An employee of the Israel Prison Service was found dead on Monday in his burnt-out home in the West Bank settlement of Givon Hahadasha, outside Jerusalem, prompting a murder investigation.

A gag order on many details of the case was issued by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court following a request from the police.

An initial statement from police early Monday afternoon said that a large number of officers were called to the scene after the man’s body was found following a fire in his home.

Police’s initial suspicions were of a “criminal incident,” since the body was found with stab wounds.

Kobi Yaakobi, the head of the Israel Prison Service, also arrived at the scene of the crime on Monday.

Later on Monday, the Shin Bet security agency joined the investigation into the alleged murder — indicating that there are suspicions that it may have been terror-linked.

Police and first responders at the scene where the body of an Israel Prison Service officer was found dead in the West Bank settlement Givon Hahadasha, July 8, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

According to Channel 12 news, the victim worked over the weekend at his job in an Israeli prison. On Monday, the network reported, his colleagues noticed his absence from work and turned up at his home to check on him. When they arrived, they saw smoke emerging from the home and called firefighters to the scene.

A paramedic with Magen David Adom said that when they were called to the home late Monday morning, they arrived to see smoke still billowing. Firefighters emerged with the body of a man in his 40s, the paramedic said, and they declared him dead at the scene.