The body of IDF soldier Corp. Oleg Shaichat z´l, missing for a week, has been discovered in a shallow grave in an olive grove near the village of Kafr Kana in northern Israel. He was discovered by scouts after intensive searches. Police say he was murdered by kidnappers for "national motives" but would not say whether the killers were Palestinians or Arabs with Israeli citizenship.

Trackers yesterday discovered in the village of Kafr Kana a beret believed to be that of the missing soldier, apparently left behind on purpose. This led searchers to an olive grove and to a tree near which they found blood stains and overturned earth.

Salach el-Haib, a senior member of the police tracking unit, said the unit began excavating the freshly-dug earth: "Suddenly we found a portion of a hand and an army uniform sleeve."

The police identification unit confirmed the dead soldier´s identity. Israel Radio reported that judging from the condition of the body, Shaichat had apparently fought back.

The soldier´s M-16 rifle had been taken by the murderers.

Hundreds of soldiers, police and volunteers have been searching for Shaichat near the Beit Rimon junction in the Galilee where he was last seen last monday.

Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz said the soldier was killed "in cold blood" soon after being abducted.

Israeli Justice Minister Joseph "Tommy" Lapid of the centrist Shinui party expressed his revulsion at the crime. "The sick satisfaction of the murderers reviles their own people. This murder not only harms the peace process, but also the image of Arabs, and arouses against them the Israeli public."

Northern District Police Commander Major General Yaakov Borovsky said: "The motive for the murder was nationalistic. We do not yet know the identity of the murderers, and therefore the question of whether they were Israeli Arabs or Palestinians remains open."

When Shaichat´s mother, Olga, saw the army contingent that arrived to tell him of her son´s fate, she said, "I see you haven´t come to give me good news." When an IDF officer read the official statement, Olga Shaichat collapsed onto the floor, screaming "my son, he never saw anything in his life." The family then asked the media to leave them alone.

A few hours later, Oleg´s brother, Adam said to the media: "I want to thank the whole country, the search teams, the civilians, everyone who helped."

In response to news of the discovery of the soldier´s body, the Hadash party condemned the killing, saying the crime seriously harms both Jews and Arabs. The United Arab List party called the crime "inhuman," with party leader Taleb al-Sana calling on the public not to blame the entire Arab population. (© 2001-2003 Koret Communications Ltd. 07/29/03)