ANT KATZ

The four fatalities at the attack on a kosher shop in the French capital were all Jews, the CRIF umbrella group of French Jewish communities said. They have been identified as” Yoav Hattab, 21, Philippe Braham, in his 40s, Yohan Cohen, 22, and Francois-Michel Saada, in his 60s.

“These French citizens were struck down in a cold-blooded manner and mercilessly because they were Jews,” read a CRIF statement.

RIGHT: Yoav Hattab, 21, one of four victims, has been identified by some media reports as the son of the Chief Rabbi of Tunis Benjamin Hattab. Jewish Report has been unable to independently verify this. PIC – Facebook

According to one of Hattab’s friends on Facebook, he lived in Tunis and came to France to study at a yeshiva in Marseilles and decided to stay. He read Torah every week during services in his synagogue in the Parisian suburb of Sarcelles, the friend said. Cohen was a resident of Sarcelles, widely known as “Little Jerusalem” for its large Jewish population, and studied at the Lycée ORT high school in the Paris suburb of Villiersle- Bel.

According to testimonies of people who survived the attack on the Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket, the four who were killed  were shot in the early stages of the seven-hour standoff, which ended when police stormed the shop and killed the hostage taker, 32-year-old Amedy Coulibaly (who himself later died).

‘Cell mate’ of Charlie terorrists

French police believed he was an Islamist who was a member of the same cell as Cherif and Said Kouachi, who gunned down 12 people on Wednesday at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo weekly.

They were killed in a separate takeover by French special forces north of Paris on Friday night. The two brothers were holed up at a printing shop.

The French manhunt for the two brothers involved over 85 000 security personnel – more than the entire UK military.

A vigil, in memory of the victims of the kosher shop attack, took place after Shabbos. Well over a thousand stood vigil at the Hyper Cacher last night, among tight security. The mourners included leading Muslim clergy and ministers of other religions paying their respects.

‘Struck down mercilessly because they were Jews’

“These French citizens were struck down in a cold-blooded manner and mercilessly because they were Jews,” read the CRIF statement sent out on Saturday.

In separate interviews given to a French channel during their respective sieges, the Kouachi brothers claim they were sent and financed by al-Qaida in Yemen while Coulibaly said he was a member of the Islamic State.

‘Continuation of extremist Islam’s war against free civilisation’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the media as he prepared to fly to Paris to join world leaders in a mass solidarity vigil to mourn the 17 victims, including the four Jews who died Friday during an attack on a kosher supermarket in the capital.

“These attacks in Paris are the continuation of extremist Islam’s war against our free civilisation in the West, in the entire modern world and also in the moderate Arab states,” Netanyahu said.

“But if we ignore the true root of the problem, if we ignore the fact that extremist Islamic terrorism seeks to exterminate Western civilisation as a whole, including the Jewish people – if we ignore this, what we are now seeing in Paris will be only the beginning.

These are not frightening words or prophecies of rage, this is the simple reality and the time has come to recognise it,” Netanyahu said.

To the Jews of France he said: “The State of Israel is not just the place to which you turn in prayer. The State of Israel is also your home. This week, a special team of ministers will convene to advance steps to increase immigration from France and other countries in Europe that are suffering from terrible anti-Semitism.
“All Jews who want to immigrate to Israel will be welcomed here warmly and with open arms. We will help you in your absorption here in our country, which is also your country.”

WE ARE CHARLIE HEDBO says Jewish Report Online

The three days of violence began with an attack on the Charlie Hebdo weekly on Wednesday and ended with Friday’s dual sieges at a print works outside Paris and a kosher supermarket in the city.

Netanyahu said he had spoken by telephone on Saturday with Celine Shreki, a hostage in the supermarket. “She is recovering,” he said.

 “She told me about the terrorist’s inconceivable cruelty and of the heroism of the young Jewish man who attempted to seize his weapon and shoot him; he was shot by the terrorist and died about 45 minutes later.”

The prime minister expressed his sorrow for the murdered French citizens, journalists and police officers.

‘We grieve with you” – Bibi

“Our brothers and sisters in the French Jewish community, we grieve with you over the terrible loss. I would like to send condolences to the families of Yoav Hattab, Philippe Braham, Yohan Cohen and Francois-Michel Saada,” Netanyahu said.

Immediately after hearing of the supermarket attack on Friday, Netanyahu held a conference call with Avigdor Leiberman, Foreign Ministry Director- General Nissim Ben-Shitrit, Mossad director Tamir Pardo and National Security Adviser Yossi Cohen. After the meeting, Netanyahu instructed that all possible assistance be granted to the French authorities and that security directives be underscored at Israeli missions and Jewish institutions.

On Friday night, Netanyahu spoke with French President Francois Hollande and assured him that “the entire people of Israel are with you. Our hearts are with the families of the victims.”

Netanyahu offered France any Israeli assistance it needed and asked Hollande in turn to heighten security at Jewish institutions.

When he spoke with French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Netanyahu said it was important to cut off financing for extremist Islamic terrorist organizations and to take action against incitement in Europe.

 “It is also essential to take action against countries that give support, shelter and passage to terrorism,” he said.

Netanyahu also spoke with Roger Cukierman, president of the Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (CRIF), the umbrella organization for French Jewry, and French National Assembly member Meyer Habib.

Other Israeli politicians

Opposition leader Isaac Herzog, who will not fly to France, said “every terrorist around the world must know that whoever harms a Jew due to his religion, Israel will demand his head.”

Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid said the events in France broke his heart, adding that Europeans were realizing that terror must be handled with determination and without compromise.

Shas leader Arye Deri called on French Jews to make aliyah, saying they would be received in Israel with love.

Lieberman also urged French Jews to immigrate. “I have no doubt that the best security is aliyah,” he told Channel 2.