Israeli murdered teenagers: Palestinian man arrested in connection with killings that sparked fresh riots in Jerusalem

Israeli forces have arrested the man in connection with the murder of Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frenkel

A Palestinian man has been arrested in connection with the kidnap and murder of three Israeli teenagers.

The man was arrested by the army in the West Bank city of Hebron on Sunday, and his family have identified him as Hossam Dufesh, the Associated Press reports, though the army would not elaborate on the arrest.

Dufesh has been arrested in connection with the killing of Eyal Yifrach, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Frenkel, 16, whose bodies were found in a field west of Hebron, buried in a shallow grave and covered by rocks, nearly three weeks after they went missing on 12 June.

It follows the army concentrating its search for the killers of the Israeli teenagers on the Hebron area, and the Israel Defence Force confirmed to Sky News the arrest has been made in connection with the three deaths.

Israeli leaders have blamed Hamas for the deaths, and vowed to exact a "very heavy price" from the group at the joint funeral held for the teenagers this week.

The bodies of the Israeli teenagers, who were abducted while hitch-hiking in the occupied West Bank, were found days before 16-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Abu Khdeir was abducted and killed on Wednesday. Khdeir's charred body was found dumped in woodland in Jerusalem.

Khdeir’s death, whose initial autopsy shows he was “burned alive”, has been called by many a revenge killing made by Israeli extremists, and sparked violent protests this week.

The Palestinian teenager’s cousin, 15-year-old Tariq Abu Khdeir, an American citizen, was allegedly filmed being brutally beaten by Israeli police at the protests.