New Yorkers Mourn As Bodies Of 3 Kidnapped Israeli Teens Are Found

JERUSALEM (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The Israeli military found the bodies of three missing teenagers on Monday, just over two weeks after they were abducted in the West Bank, allegedly by Hamas militants.

The grisly discovery culminated a feverish search that led to Israel's largest ground operation in the Palestinian territory in nearly a decade and raised fears of renewed fighting with Hamas.

Eyal Yifrach, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Fraenkel, a 16-year-old with dual Israeli-American citizenship, disappeared while hitchhiking home near the West Bank city of Hebron late at night on June 12 and were never heard from again.

As CBS 2's Dick Brennan reported, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a swift response.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement "Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay.'' He adds the teenagers "were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by wild beasts.''

Netanyahu was meeting with his Security Cabinet to discuss a response.

An overwhelming Israeli security force had swept through the West Bank in a desperate search for the three boys before their bodies were found in a cave.

The Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency announced late Monday that the bodies had been found.

"The bodies are currently going through forensic identification. The families of the abducted teens have been notified,'' the army said. The Shin Bet said the bodies had been buried in a field near the village of Halhul, just north of Hebron.

Binyamin Proper, who was among the civilian volunteers that found the bodies, told an Israeli TV channel that a member of the search party "saw something suspicious on the ground, plants that looked out of place, moved them and moved some rocks and then found the bodies. We realized it was them and we called the army.''

"I'm still shocked. I don't believe – I'm holding his picture, and I see his smile, and I don't believe that – he is so young and innocent, and he had his whole life in front of him," said Gilad Shaar's aunt, Leehy Shaar.

The teens' kidnapping stirred protests in New York City and launched the Twitter hashtag #Bringbackourboys.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a tweet Monday that he was "saddened and outraged by the news of the tragic murders."

New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo echoed the sentiment, saying he was "shocked and saddened at the murder."

President Barack Obama also issued a statement.

"The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms this senseless act of terror against innocent youth.... I also urge all parties to refrain from steps that could further destabilize the situation," the statement said.

The Jewish service organization B'nai B'rith International blamed Palestinian militants for the boys' deaths.

"The kidnapping and subsequent murders are the direct product of the constant and relentless incitement taught by the Palestinians," B'nai B'rith International said in a statement. "For many decades, generations of Palestinians have been raised on a diet of hate, which feeds the terror targeting Israel. The twin evils of incitement and terrorism have once again shown that Israel does not have a credible partner for peace."

"It is the duty of the Palestinians to surrender the murderers to Israel," the group added.

The Israeli government has placed the blame for the kidnappings—which occurred less than two weeks after the swearing in of the Fatah-Hamas-backed Palestinian government—directly on Hamas, which remains committed to the destruction of Israel and to carrying out terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians.

Hamas responded by saying any Israeli attack will "open the gates of hell."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has condemned the kidnappings. But tensions are inflamed, and the U.S. State Department has continued to urge restraint on all sides.

"We certainly would continue to urge that – despite, in spite of, obviously, the tragedy, and the enormous pain on the ground as a result," said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

Netanyahu has called on Abbas to dissolve a unity government recently formed with the backing of Hamas, saying it is impossible to be committed to peace while simultaneously sitting together with a group that kidnaps Israelis.

"Israel will act against the kidnappers and their terrorist sponsors and comrades," Netanyahu said earlier this month. "We will do whatever needs to be done to protect our people."

Abbas has so far refused the calls, saying his new government is committed to his political program. Hamas is not part of his government, but has lent its backing from the outside.

Last week, Israel identified two well-known Hamas operatives as the chief suspects. There were explosions Monday night at the home of one of the prime suspects, as the Israeli Army raided the home in the West Bank town of Hebron.

Meanwhile, the killings have sent shockwaves around the world, with many New Yorkers expressing their disgust and sadness.

As CBS 2's Jessica Schneider reported, hundreds of people mourned for the teens outside the Israeli Consulate at 800 Second Ave., and inside the Jewish Community Center on the Upper West Side.

Rabbi Avi Weiss led the vigil at the Israeli Consulate, and beforehand said he was concerned about the days to come in the Holy Land.

"It's critical that everyone understand that those who were murdered, those boys, they're our sons, and they're our brothers," Weiss said. "And until we're going to hear a world outcry that this is beyond the pale, I fear that this will continue."

Several dozen people carried blue and white Israeli flags as Weiss led the prayer vigil, 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reported.

Among the hundreds attending was Rachel Hafler of the Upper West Side, who said she could not stop crying.

"These are our boys. These are our young children that were just murdered for no reason – just because they're Jewish," Hafler said.

There was sadness and outrage. Sari Singer survived a 2003 terrorist bus bombing in Jerusalem.

"I'm angry. I'm angry at the world. I'm angry at the outrage that these are three innocent boys that were on their way home from school, and the world is silent," Singer said.

Singer, a native of Lakewood, New Jersey, warned against complacency.

"If terrorists can do this in Israel, they can do it anywhere in the world," she told WCBS 880's Marla Diamond.

Dozens marched from the Israeli Consulate to the United Nations.

"I felt helpless," said Bob Brody. "I felt there was nothing I could do but come here and show my solidarity -- for all people."

Meanwhile, Rabbi Adam Mintz brought his community center together to pray at the JCC at 334 Amsterdam Ave.

Naftali Fraenkel's grandparents had lived in Brooklyn until moving to Israel in the 1950s. Multiple Brooklyn lawmakers, including state Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn), issued statements Monday, with Hikind saying he is "heartsick over the news from Israel."

"These three boys, innocent in every way, united us. They brought us together in prayer and the common purpose of self-determination," he said. "My heart, and the hearts of our nation, are with the families of these three innocent boys, martyred because they chose to live in the lands of their forefathers."

Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Brooklyn) also issued a statement, calling their deaths "blatant, premeditated cruelty that shows no respect for human decency or for human life."

Vigils were held for the teens at the Jewish Children's Museum in Crown Heights and outside the Israeli Consulate in Manhattan earlier this month.

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