Getty Israeli suspects in the abduction and murder of Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khder, arrive for their trial in 2015. One of the teens appears to hide his face in this photo.
Avishay Elbaz is a central character in the new HBO TV miniseries Our Boys. The series is based on the true story of the heartbreaking murder of three Israeli teens and the retaliation murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir. Who is Avishay Elbaz and what role did he play in real life? Read on to learn more. Just a warning: this article will have spoilers for the series, just in case you don’t know what happened in real life.
Avishay Elbaz Is Based on a Real Person Whose Name Was Never Made Public
GettyThe 16-year-old Israeli suspect, who was charged along with Yosef-Haim Ben David and another minor, hides his face in 2014.
Avishay Elbaz is a partially-fictional character based on a real-life person who was convicted of murder, but whose name was never made public. In the photo above, you can see the 16-year-old who was convicted hiding his face from the camera.
The teen’s uncle, Yosef Haim Ben David, was convicted (and confessed to) Mohammed Abu Khdeir’s horrific murder. Abu Khdeir was kidnapped and burned alive. Ben David was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years for kidnapping.
Two of Ben David’s nephews were also convicted of murder, Times of Israel reported. One of the minors was 17 at the time of the crime and was convicted of actively helping with the kidnap and murder, including pouring gasoline on Abu Khdeir, The Times of Israel reported. The second, who was 16 at the time of the crime, was convicted of helping with the killing.
The two teens’ names were never released publicly because of their ages when they committed the crimes, Haaretz reported. It is against Israeli policy to release minors’ names publicly. Because of this, Avishay Elbaz is a fictional name based on a real-life person.
The Teens’ Sentences Were Rare for Minors in Israel
GettyYosef Haim Ben-David, the uncle of the two teens, arrives escorted by prison guards at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on February 8, 2018.
The 17-year-old was sentenced to life and the 16-year-old was sentenced to 21 years. At the time of their sentencing, The Times of Israel pointed out that sentences this long are rare for minors.
One of the teens was from Jerusalem and the other was from Beit Shemesh, Israel National News reported. The two and Ben David were suspected to be part of arson attacks on Palestinians’ cars. Two were also accused of setting a Palestinian shop on fire.
The murder was brutal, The Guardian reported. The three had decided they were going to kill an Arab and had cables, gasoline, and other materials ready. They had tried to kidnap a seven-year-old child in east Jerusalem the day before, but his mom stopped the kidnapping. They ultimately picked Abu Khdeir at random.
The Israeli court also ordered that the two teens pay Abu Khdeir’s family $7,700 each, Newsweek reported.
In February 2018, the Israeli court upheld the convictions of all three, The Jerusalem Post reported. The teens’ lawyers argued that they were only trying to rough up Abu Khdeir but never intended to kill him. The plea was rejected and the convictions were upheld.
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‘Our Boys’: Who Is Avishay Elbaz in Real Life?