On June 12, 2014, three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped at a bus stop at the Israeli town of Alon Shvut in Gush Etzion, as they were hitchhiking to their homes. The three teens were Gilad Shaer (16, from Talmon), Eyal Yifrach (19, from Elad), and Naftali Fraenkel (16, from Nof Ayalon).

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GAON represents the initials of the three teenage boys – Gimel for Gilad, Alef for Eyal, Noon for Naftali – (the added O connects the letters together and transforms the boys’ initials into the word “Genius”).