The teenagers were hitchhiking home when they were kidnapped. (Twitter/@TimBurt)

Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16 and Naftali Fraenkel, 16, went missing 18 days ago while hitchhiking near the city of Hebron.

In response, the Israel Defense Force launched Operation Brother’s Keeper, consisting of a vast search across the West Bank and operations against terrorist group Hamas.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the kidnappings and killings, which Hamas denies. U.S. President Barack Obama also condemned the murders, calling them “senseless acts of terror against innocent youth.”

“They were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by human animals. Hamas is responsible and Hamas will pay,” said Netanyahu at a cabinet meeting.

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