An Israeli soldier who was visiting the West Bank with a former Palestinian co-worker was murdered by the Palestinian man.

The body of Tomer Hazan, 20, a sergeant in the Israel Air Force, was discovered Sept. 21 after his family alerted officials that he had not been in touch with them since the previous morning.

Nadal Amar, 42, was arrested Sept. 21 by Israeli security services and confessed to killing Hazan near Amar’s hometown of Kalkilya and hiding the body in a well.

Amar told Israel Security Agency agents that he planned to exchange Hazan’s body for the release of his brother, Nur Al Din Amar, a Fatah operative imprisoned since 2003 for his involvement in several terror attacks, according to the Israel Defense Forces spokesman’s office.

Hazan and Amar, who had worked together at Tzachi Meats in Bat Yam, reportedly got into a taxi together and traveled to an Israeli community near Kalkilya.

Amar had been working in Israel illegally, according to the IDF. The owner of Tzachi Meats said he believed Amar had legal work documents. He closed his restaurant for a week in solidarity with the family, the Jerusalem Post reported. — jta