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Murderer of a 2-month-old baby, and stabbed a toddler in the heart

Itamar massacre: Hakim Awad, 18, tells Samaria Military Court he has no regrets, says he murdered five members of Fogel family ‘over the occupation.’ Defense attorney: Defendant as much a victim as Fogel family was

The Samaria Military Court on Tuesday sentenced Hakim Awad, 18, who was convicted in the murder of five members of the Fogel family in Itamar last March, to five consecutive life sentences and another five years in prison - a total of 130 years behind bars.

Hakim and his cousin Amjad brutally murdered Ehud Fogel, 36, Ruth Fogel, 35, 11-year-old Yoav, 4-year-old Elad and 2-month-old Hadas.

Prior to the sentencing Awad declared he was not sorry and claimed he murdered the five “because of the occupation.”

During the court hearing, Awad claimed that Israeli security forces tied up and killed two men from his village. “I am 18 and in my teenage years. Not any young man of this age thinks about murder, only a Palestinian man whose land was taken. This is what the state does to me every day. When I want to leave my village I have to undergo a search which always involves beatings.”

As he left the court he motioned the V sign for Victory with his fingers.

The judges asked Awad, who confessed to the murder last month, to refrain from discussing politics and instead talk about himself. “I am a person like you, I have no mental condition, I never had a serious illness. My only illness is the Israeli occupation.” He replied negatively when asked if he regrets his actions.

Awad was convicted of murder as well as of arms dealing and involvement in a shooting incident.

At one point during the hearing, one of the prosecutors presented a letter written by Yohai, Ruth Fogel’s brother as well as a letter from Elad’s nanny.

“The children were murdered while screaming and fighting for their lives. It’s hard to imagine a situation where the person standing before you is wrestling with a 4-year-old or an 11-year-old who were murdered. The two-month-old baby’s only crime was that she cried. A helpless infant murdered by stabs to the head is a murder that is difficult to put into words.”

The prosecutor said, “At the end of the day when one considers the murder and its consequences, a life sentence is still a light punishment. This event elevated the murder to an extreme level. It’s not an explosive where the terrorist does not know his victims. Here the hands of the murderers are covered in blood.”

He called on the judges not to consider the fact that Awad was underage at the time of the murder and to disregard any arguments for rehabilitation. “The defendant, in his actions, distanced himself from human company and acted on an malicious and satanic ideology deserving of the punishment the prosecution is demanding,” he said.