Remains found near Hura identified as Nivin al-Amrani, murdered by brother in 2020

For six years, nobody knew where Nivin al-Amrani was buried. Her brother had been convicted of her murder, but her body was never found. This week, forensic tests closed that gap.

Human bones were found about two weeks ago in an open area, inside a well near Hura in the Negev, according to Israel Hayom. The National Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir has now identified them as the remains of al-Amrani, who was 21 when she was killed in 2020.

Her brother, Naaman al-Huwaiti, admitted the murder in a plea deal and was sentenced in 2022 to 28 years in prison, Arutz Sheva reported. Their father was convicted of failing to prevent a crime and of assaulting his wife, the victim's mother.

Maariv reported that two other defendants in the case were convicted of aiding the murder and of failing to prevent a crime. The outlets differ on how they describe who the other defendants were.

What the indictment said

Under the indictment, as Maariv described it, al-Amrani was stabbed repeatedly and kicked. The motive alleged was her wish to return to the man she had divorced. The attack allegedly took place in front of her mother, who is disabled and an amputee. The mother begged the attackers to stop and tried to help her daughter. According to the indictment, one of the three then threatened to kill her if she intervened.

The case was prosecuted without a body, which is rare and difficult. Ynet reported that the indictment followed testimony from the mother's caregiver, who described what she saw in the home. Another brother called police about a month after the killing. According to Ynet, he told them, in Hebrew, that he would be killed if the family found out he had spoken.

A conviction that did not depend on a body

The convictions rested on a plea and on testimony, not on physical remains. The discovery does not change the verdicts. Police have not said whether the remains could affect any other proceeding. Nor have they said how the site was found, or whether the find came from a new lead or by chance.

Violence against women in the Negev's Bedouin communities is a long-standing problem, and cases can be hard to prosecute when relatives stay silent out of fear. In this case, a caregiver and a family member did come forward.

The remains, found in a well near Hura, will now let al-Amrani's family bury her.