As a military court prepares Monday to hand down its sentence in the trial of Amjad Awad, aged 19, a poll shows 70% of the public want the cold-blooded killer executed. The poll was conducted by Pirsumei Israel.
Together with his cousin Hakem Awad, 17, Amjad murdered five members of the family in the Samaria (Shomron) community of Itamar eight months ago. It was Amjad who stabbed and killed Udi Fogel and his wife Ruthy, as well as their children – Yoav, 11, Elad, 4, and Hadas, who was 3 months old.
The cousins admitted the crimes and reenacted them for investigators.
Hakem was found guilty on all the counts. He was charged with in August and sent to 130 years' jail. However, Amjad was the initiator of the massacre.
While 70% supported the death penalty for Amjad, 20% said they oppose the death sentence and 9.8 said they have no opinion. The poll encompassed 521 people from all socio-economic layers.
Israeli courts, including military ones, can impose the death penalty by law but never do.