Following the deadly terror attack near Havat Gilad on Friday morning, in which Benayahu Melet was murdered and several others were wounded, members of the hiking group described the chain of events and alleged serious misconduct by the military forces that arrived at the scene.
According to the hikers, the group of about 60 people set out from Har Bracha before dawn. They were accompanied by two armed escorts carrying rifles, as well as several civilians armed with handguns. During the hike, the group stopped at a spring near the Sela Ridge.
The hikers said the first incident occurred at approximately 7:05 a.m., when several Palestinian Arabs from the area arrived, throwing stones and attacking with clubs. One hiker was struck in the face, and the group withdrew before continuing toward Havat Gilad.
About an hour later, at approximately 8:05 a.m., the hikers said they came under a second attack, this time by dozens of Palestinians from the nearby village of Tal, who surrounded the group from three directions.
According to their account, armed civilians opened fire in self-defense, but the first soldier to arrive at the scene "refused to fire." Later, after additional troops arrived, the soldiers "did nothing and refused to open fire."
The hikers said civilian security personnel from Havat Gilad attempted to repel the attackers by firing warning shots into the air, while additional civilians attempted to help defend the group.
According to the hikers' testimony, during the confrontation one of the attackers, described as a sheikh from the village, seized the weapon of one of the civilian security personnel and opened fire. Only afterwards did the soldiers return fire.
