The Samaria District Military Court on Monday is set to sentence, Amjad Awad, one of two terrorists who confessed to entering the home of an Israeli family in the West Bank settlement of Itamar in March and murdering five of its members, including a 3-month-old baby. The Samaria District Military Court convicted 17-year-old Hakim Awad - Amjad's cousin and accomplice - of all the charges against him and sentenced him on Sept. 13 to five consecutive life terms in prison. The gruesome murders of the Fogel family sent shock waves throughout Israel. According to the indictment, Amjad Awad, 19, and Hakim infiltrated Itamar, near Nablus, from their nearby village of Awarta. The two broke into the Fogels' home and entered a room where Yoav Fogel, 11, was and killed him before going on to kill his 4-year-old brother Elad. The two then entered the master bedroom, according to the indictment, and killed Udi and Ruth, the parents, repeatedly stabbing Udi in the neck. They also stabbed Ruth, and then shot her. At that point, the two left the house, but returned to retrieve their weapons. It was at this point, according to court documents, that Amjad heard the cries of Hadas, the Fogels' 3-month-old baby girl, and they murdered her as well. Both of the Awads confessed to the murders and re-enacted them for police investigators. Amjad was said to be the ringleader, and was accused, among other charges, of using a knife to murder all five family members. Since the murders, Israeli politicians, mostly associated with the Right, have called for the death penalty, which is illegal in Israel except in exceptionally extreme circumstances, for both terrorists. Israel Hayom obtained an Israel Advertising agency survey - which is part of a broader strategic study the company is conducting for various public campaigns which found that 70 percent of the Israelis questioned supported the death penalty in this case. Twenty percent opposed the death penalty, and 9.8% said they did not have an opinion on the matter. For the survey, 521 people from all over the country, representing every sector of Israeli society, were questioned. Former Israel Defense Forces Chief Rabbi, Brigadier General (res.) Avichai Rontzky, who is the current head of the Itamar Hesder Yeshiva where the late Udi Fogel taught, commented on the survey and said, "There is no doubt the death penalty is a deterrent that will prevent a future pardon from being a possibility. The results of the survey prove that the shocking murders touched the souls of almost every Israeli, and the public's demand in this case is clear." Israel Goldberg, head of the Israel Advertising agency, said, "It is amazing to see how many people hold a position that is associated with the extreme Right."
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