The likelihood that two young mountain-climbers, whose bullet-riddled bodies were found on historic Masada Rock, were the victims of Arab infiltrators was strengthened today by a report to police by another climber.
The Rock, famous as a Jewish fortress from the days of King Herod and now a major attraction for mountain climbers, was the site yesterday of death for a total of five Israelis in a series of disasters.
The first victims were the young couple. Shortly after their bodies were found, a woman climber was killed by a falling rock. A few hours later, an Army Piper Cub, investigating the slaying of the couple, crashed, killing its two occupants.
The climber told police he saw an armed Jordanian dressed in Rhaki and a second armed Arab in typical Arabian garb approach the place where he saw the young couple.
Another indication that the killers were Arab infiltrators was an Army report that two armed infiltrators were killed and a third escaped in a clash with an Israel patrol in the southern Negev. Masada is on the Dead Sea. Army officials suggested that the killers were part of a larger group of infiltrators operating in the Negev and that those who clashed with the patrol were part of the same gang.
A factor pointing to infiltrators was the fact that the possessions of the victims, including their watches, shoes and water containers, had been stolen.
The tragedies did not deter the usual holiday influx of climbers. Some 5,000 persons came to Masada to make the ascent which was easier this year because ladders have been installed.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
