Feb. 26, 2007 3:05 | Updated Feb. 26, 2007 5:05 Israeli stabbed to death near Hebron By REBECCA ANNA STOIL AND YAAKOV KATZ

A settler from Bat Ayin, a community in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, was found stabbed to death Sunday night in a ravine north of Hebron.

Security officials said that the father of three, 40, was found with a fatal stab wound to the neck. Officials said it was likely he was killed by Palestinians.

Shortly before 11 p.m., Judea and Samaria Police received reports from what they described as "foreign channels" that an Israeli had been found dead in the Hebron area. In fact, a number of Palestinians allegedly reported the murder - or the discovery of the body - to Palestinian Authority security forces, who relayed the message to the Israel Police.

When police arrived at the scene, they discovered the body of the man, who had been missing since 6 p.m. A doctor pronounced him dead at the scene. His vehicle was also recovered, indicating that auto theft was probably not the motive behind the murder. Although late Sunday night the motive for the stabbing was still unknown, terrorism was considered a likely possibility.

IDF forces were dispatched to comb the area in search of possible assailants. Sources in the Central Command said there were a number of terror alerts regarding Palestinian plans to kidnap and murder Israelis. The officials did not rule out the possibility that the murder was criminally motivated.