The terrorist who murdered Dr. Daniel Yaakobi of Yakir, located in northeast Samaria, has been sentenced to life in prison. The terrorist, Tayun Tayun, murdered Yaakobi in 2006 at a car repair shop in the Arab village of Funduk in Samaria. His body was put in the trunk of his car, which was then set on fire.
Yaakobi, 59, had worked as a doctor for many years. He and his wife Hani had lived in Yakir for more than 20 years. He was survived by his wife, four children, and 12 grandchildren. His friends and neighbors described him as a deeply religious man who loved the land of Israel and who was dedicated to his work.
Tayun admitted to the murder, which he said was carried out in revenge for the death of Islamic Jihad terrorist Hamada Shatibi, who was killed by IDF soldiers as he attempted to escape after being arrested.
He admitted to murdering Yaakobi at the repair shop, which was owned by his brother, Ahmed Tayun. Ahmed Tayun and his friends Amar Nofel and Nasim Gabiti helped Tayun Tayun dispose of the body and hide the evidence, but were not involved in planning the attack.
Some Israelis, such as Dr. Yaakobi, choose to frequent Arab owned businesses in good will gestures aimed at promoting neighborly relations with individual Arabs to show them one of the positive aspects of having Jewish communities nearby. While this is well intentioned, and perhaps also economically feasible or convenient, it can be used by businessman with terrorist affiliations to kill Jews rather than for profit.