An audio recording of a senior Hamas official seems to claim responsibility for one of the precipitating acts to the current bloodshed between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza – the reprehensible kidnapping and killing of three Jewish teens back in June.

According to Israel’s Haaratz newspaper, Hamas official Salah Arouri was captured on video at a conference of Islamic scholars in Turkey, and he speaks directly of the kidnappings and murders as the work of the militarist wing of Hamas.

“It has been said that it is an Israeli conspiracy, and I say it isn’t,” Arouri states.

“The al-Qassam’s mujahedeen were the ones to carry out (the abduction) in show of support for the prisoners’ hunger strike,” he adds, referring to Palestinian inmates held in Israel.

Police have arrested a member of the powerful Qawasmeh clan in Hebron, which has reportedly frequently worked in concert with Hamas.  Two more suspects are still on the run.  Israeli self-defense forces blew up their homes in Hebron earlier this week.  Despite Salah Arouri's statement, Hamas has not officially claimed responsibility for kidnapping and murdering the teens.

19-year old Eyal Yifrach, and Gilad Shaar and Naftali Fraenkel, both 16, were hitchhiking through the the West Bank on their way home from religious school when they were kidnapped.  One of the boys managed to call police, but the officer on the line didn’t take it serious, and the search for the trio was delayed for several hours. 

From the outset, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was sure of who was to blame; “Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay,” he said.  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the time said there was no evidence to support that.  The boys’ bodies weren’t found until almost three weeks later, and they were likely killed after being kidnapped.  But what happened in the wake has been a humanitarian disaster. 

While the boys’ parents suffered, Israeli security conducted massive sweeps through the West Bank, criticized by human rights groups as “collective punishment” for the harsh treatment of West Bank Palestinians.  Hundreds were arrested. 

Settlers kidnapped a Palestinian youth, 16-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Abu Khdeir, and burned him to death.  His American cousin Tariq was literally stomped by Israeli border guards, a shocking assault caught on video.  Israel acted swiftly and resolutely to catch and charge those responsible for the revenge attack.  Since then, the US has accused Israel of revenge arrests of 35 members of the Khdeir family during sweeps of the West Bank.

Hamas launched its crappy rockets into Israeli territory, and the IDF responded with a month-long missile barrage and ground invasion of Gaza that has left almost 2,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, dead and tens of thousands homeless.  Israel has lost 64 soldiers and three civilians.