A large group of 46 Gazans who had been living in Israel and the West Bank since October 7 surrendered at a crossing in Samaria this week, according to a security establishment report. The report brings the total number of such voluntary surrenders to over 200 in recent weeks. Israeli security sources assess the trend reflects the cessation of economic support from Palestinians in the West Bank. Hundreds to thousands of additional Gazans are believed to remain in Israel, but efforts to locate and deport them have ceased.
Israeli security sources have reported that 46 Gazans who had been living in the West Bank and Israel since before the war surrendered to IDF forces at a crossing in Samaria this week, bringing the total number of such voluntary surrenders to over 200 since the war began.
The report, published Wednesday morning, updates an earlier account from the same security establishment. As The Zioneer reported at 09:20, over 200 Gazans who entered Israel with permits before October 7 and remained in the West Bank and Israel throughout the war had surrendered to IDF forces in recent weeks to be returned to Gaza.
The new report specifies that the latest group of 46 surrendered at an unnamed crossing in Samaria. Security analysts assess the wave of voluntary surrenders stems from the cessation of economic support provided by Palestinians in the West Bank, who had been employing and housing the Gazans during the war. With that support dwindling, the Gazans are seeking to return to Gaza.
The report also notes that, according to security assessments, hundreds to thousands of additional Gazans may still be living in Israel and the West Bank. Early in the war, the IDF made efforts to locate and deport them, but those efforts have since been discontinued. The exact number of remaining Gazans is unknown to the security establishment.
2 developments
- Developing50,000 Gaza residents have left the Strip since war began, Israeli defense body says
- DevelopingIsrael releases ten Palestinians from Gaza from its prisons
- DevelopingArab reports: 7 Palestinian prisoners released from Israel back to Gaza
- Developing7 Palestinians reported killed, 25+ wounded in IDF strikes across Gaza since morning
Source and signal
- Internal intake