Israelis hunt for kidnap 3

JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister said Saturday that the military is determined to find three missing teenagers, one of whom is an American, who are presumed alive and believed to be held by Palestinian militants.

Security forces searched the West Bank for a second day Saturday, looking for the teens who disappeared late Thursday, reportedly while hitchhiking home.

The Israeli military identified them as Naftali Frenkel, 16, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Eyal Yifrach, 19. Israeli television station Channel 10 named Frenkel as the US citizen whom officials had earlier mentioned.

Troops arrested more than a dozen Palestinians in connection with the case and are examining footage from security cameras.

If confirmed that the three teenagers were seized by Palestinian gunmen, it would be the biggest kidnapping by such militant groups in recent memory in the West Bank.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said Saturday that Israel has thwarted more than a dozen kidnapping attempts by Palestinian militants so far this year.

“We will not rest until we free the youths and put our hands on the terrorists who are responsible for this operation,” Yaalon said.

“As long as we don’t know otherwise, our working assumption is that they are alive,” he said.