The IDF confirms the death of Aziz Salha, one of the culprits in the 2000 Ramallah lynching

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet reported in a statement Thursday that they killed Palestinian Aziz Salha in an airstrike in Gaza. He was known for his involvement in the lynching of two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah in 2000.

This tragic event is widely remembered in Israel, as two soldiers were brutally murdered during the initial weeks of the Second Intifada, deeply shocking Israeli society.

One of the lasting images of this killing was a photo of Aziz Salha displaying his blood-stained hands to a crowd after having participated in the lynching against the two Israeli soldiers.

In 2000, reserve soldiers Yosef Avrahami and Vadim Norzhic were killed in October after they reportedly took a wrong turn and ended up in the Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank city of Ramallah.

They were then detained by the Palestinian Authority Police and taken to a police station. However, the compound was invaded by a mob. Tempers in Ramallah were particularly heated following the deaths of several Palestinians in clashes with the IDF in the previous days.

The group of people managed to capture the two military reserves and beat them to death. Some of the participants were apprehended and prosecuted, Aziz Salha and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar among them. In 2011, Salha was released in a prisoner exchange.

Confirmation of Salha's death was first reported by Palestinian media, according to The Times of Israel, and later confirmed by Israel.