SHOCKING RELEASE: Terrorists who organized murder of 2 Israeli children listening to bedtime stories

In a stark reminder of the brutal human cost of hostage negotiations, yesterday (Saturday), Israel released two terrorists convicted of orchestrating one of the Second Intifada's most horrific attacks - the murder of a mother and her two young sons as she read them a bedtime story.

Osama Ashkar and Muhammad Naifa, senior members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, were freed despite their role in the 2002 Kibbutz Metzer massacre that claimed five lives, including 5-year-old Matan and 4-year-old Noam Ohayon. Their mother, Revital, 34, was killed trying to protect them as they fled.

The attack's brutality shocked Israel: The gunman first murdered Yitzhak Dori, 44, and his elderly mother Tirza Damari, 63, before hunting down the Ohayon family. Kibbutz Metzer, known for its peaceful coexistence with neighboring Arab communities, became a symbol of the Intifada's indiscriminate violence.

The released terrorists were also convicted for another deadly attack on the Hermesh settlement that brought their total victim count to eight Israelis, including four children.

Both men had been serving multiple life sentences until today's release, part of ongoing hostage negotiations that have seen Israel free convicted terrorists in exchange for civilians kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th.