Palestinians were arrested Thursday on suspicion of murdering Reuven Shmerling, a 70-year-old Jewish man who was found dead Wednesday in a coal storehouse belonging to his family in the Kafr Qasim industrial zone, with signs of severe violence on his body. The information was cleared for publication on Sunday.

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The Shin Bet said that the evidence gathered so far pointed to an act of terrorism. The suspects, two Palestinians from the West Bank town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, will be charged with murdering Shmerling, a resident of the settlement of Elqana in northeastern Samaria, out of nationalistic motivations.

The Shin Bet placed a gag order on all details of the investigation.

Reuven (Moti) Shmerling

According to media reports following the murder, Shmerling employed Palestinian laborers at the site where his body was found. The reports claimed that one of the directions police were pursuing is that Shmerling was beaten to death by his laborers following a dispute over money.

A neighbor described Shmerling as a “charming man with a wonderful family” who served as a cantor at his local synagogue.

Security forces gather at the scene of the crime

Elkana Regional Council head Assaf Mintzer added that it was “clear from the outset” to the Shmerling family and the entire community that the murder was committed for nationalist reasons.

“The crime scene and the way he was murdered left no doubt about it. We thank our security forces, the Shin Bet, the IDF and the police for catching the murderers and we expect them to take meaningful action against the terrorists and their operators,” Mintzer said.

On Thursday, Shmerling was supposed to celebrate his 70th birthday with his family—including his four children and 19 grandchildren. Instead, he was laid to rest at Elkana Cemetery.

Shmerling's family at his funeral (Photo: Yuval Hen)

Hundreds of family and friends escorted him on his last journey. The head of IDF's Central Command, Maj. Gen. Roni Numa, was also present at the funeral.

The Shmerling family arrived at the funeral with a shirt made especially for his birthday, which read: "It's a sign that you're young. Celebrating 70 with Grandpa Moti."

"Our beloved father, everything was ready for your birthday," eulogized his daughter, Idit. "We prepared a song, printed shirts, prepared a presentation and a game for the whole family—but you weren't there. We didn't have the chance to say goodbye."