‘Tragic, but the deal has to go ahead’: Hillel Fuld reacts to release of brother’s killer

January 22, 2025 by Crystal Jones
Read on for article

Ahead of the next batch of imprisoned Palestinian terrorists being released, the brother of one of their victims said the move was “tragic, but the deal has to go ahead.”

Ari Fuld at his home in Efrat, Israel. Courtesy JNS: Yishai Fleisher

Hillel Fuld shared his thoughts with The Press Service of Israel as prison authorities prepared to release Khalil Yusef Ali Jabarin. Hillel’s brother, Ari, was killed after being stabbed by Jabarin at the Gush Etzion Junction south of Jerusalem in 2018. Ari, a US-Israeli national, managed to shoot Jabarin before he could attack more people and was credited with saving lives.

He is survived by his wife and four children.

“On a personal level, it’s tragic, but the deal had to go ahead. The deal is terrible and beautiful at the same time,” Hillel said. “We are a strong family and we are still proud of him. It was disturbing news, but we have been through worse.”

Jabarin will be one of up to 200 terrorists released in exchange for four female Israelis held captive since October 7.

“It is a beautiful thing to see the girls home,” Hillel said.

Ari’s widow Miriam, and the rest of the family were notified on Sunday that Jabarin will likely be exiled, possibly to Qatar, but this has not been confirmed.

Asked how the family took the news, Ari told TPS-IL, the family came together in remembrance of Ari. “Last night we went out to spend and enjoy our time together.

“We are a strong family, we’ve been through worse and we will get through this too.”

Hillel, a tech blogger and social media influencer, posted a picture of the family enjoying a meal in a restaurant on Instagram on Sunday with the caption: “Instead of everyone just dealing with their own emotions about Ari’s murderer getting out, we decided to meet in Jerusalem for burgers and talk it out. Because that’s how we roll, the Fulds.”

The first phase of the ceasefire will see 33 Israeli hostages freed over several weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel. The exact number will depend on how many of the 33 hostages are alive. Meanwhile, Israel’s High Court of Justice rejected a legal petition against the release of the Palestinians on Sunday morning.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 92 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead.

Speak Your Mind

Comments received without a full name will not be considered
Email addresses are NEVER published! All comments are moderated. J-Wire will publish considered comments by people who provide a real name and email address. Comments that are abusive, rude, defamatory or which contain offensive language will not be published

Got something to say about this?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Discover more from J-Wire

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading