JERUSALEM, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Shin Bet security service said Sunday that several "Jewish terrorists" have been arrested on suspicion of killing a Palestinian woman in the West Bank.
The incident took place Oct. 12, 2018 outside the settlement of Rahelim in the northern West Bank. Aisha Rabi, 47, was driving with her husbands and two of her daughters when she was struck in the head by a stone allegedly hurled by settlers.
Rabi was a mother of nine and a resident of the village of Badia in the northern West Bank. The suspects were arrested on Dec. 30.
Their identities were not disclosed because they are minors. The Shin Bet said in a statement that they are all students in a Yeshiva (Jewish seminary).
"The suspects were arrested for serious terror offenses, including murder," the statement read.
The Shin Bet said the attack was "Jewish terrorism." Over the past year, the Shin Bet foiled "hundreds of terrorist attacks" throughout the West Bank, including Jewish terror attacks, the statement said.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right activist and the suspects' lawyer, said they kept their right to remain silent during their questioning. He accused the Shin Bet of employing "harsh manipulations" against the suspects during the investigation.
According to a report on Sunday in Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper, the number of Jewish attacks against Palestinians has been on the rise in 2018. These attacks, carried out by ultra-nationalist settlers, included violence against Palestinians and vandalism against their properties.
By mid-December 2018, 482 such incidents had been reported to Israeli authorities, compared with 140 for 2017, Ha'aretz reported.
Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war and has controlled it ever since despite international criticism.
