The IDF located Israeli civilians who had fled police into a Palestinian village after an extensive search involving special forces and a combat helicopter, according to The Jerusalem Post. No information has been released on why the civilians fled or whether any arrests were made.
The IDF located Israeli civilians who fled police into a Palestinian village in the West Bank early Thursday morning, following an extensive search that mobilized special forces and a combat helicopter, The Jerusalem Post reported. The development comes after a fluid, hours-long incident that saw security forces escalate and then de-escalate a kidnapping alert. The civilians were found after the IDF deployed helicopters and special units; no details have been released on why they fled or whether any arrests were made.
As The Zioneer reported beginning at 07:30 Jerusalem, the incident unfolded when a group of Breslov Hasidic followers evaded a police traffic stop on Route 60 and entered the village of Mukhmas. Initial reports described a kidnapping alert being declared after contact was lost, with the IDF activating a chief-of-staff-level protocol. By 07:30, i24NEWS reported that the group had emerged safely and the abduction fear was lifted; the IDF confirmed all Israelis had exited the village. A separate thread version at 07:30 noted that three suspects were detained for questioning. The search involved helicopters and special forces, as Channel 14 reporter Eliya Aviv detailed, with two occupants initially located in Jerusalem refusing to cooperate.
In a background bulletin published at 09:26 Jerusalem, the IDF officially ruled out a kidnapping scenario, stating that all civilians had been located following a joint multi-agency intelligence effort. The military has not issued a formal statement on the reasons for the flight or on any arrests beyond the detention of three individuals for questioning.
It remains unclear why the civilians fled police — whether they were wanted for draft evasion, as one early testimony suggested, or for other reasons. No information has been released on whether Palestinian residents of Mukhmas were involved or detained.
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