Israeli who entered West Bank’s Qalqilya, allegedly to search for stolen car, is rescued

Overnight, an Israeli man was rescued from Qalqilya after he entered the northern West Bank Palestinian city to allegedly search for his stolen car.

The Civil Administration, a branch of the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), says it received a report overnight of an Israeli wandering around Qalqilya in a situation that “posed a real danger to his life.”

“Upon receiving the report, officers from the Ephraim District Coordination and Liaison office acted to provide immediate protection to the Israeli, and at the same time, to transfer him to IDF troops through coordination channels,” the Civil Administration says, referring to the Palestinian Authority.

According to a preliminary investigation, the man entered Qalqilya, which is near the Green Line, on foot to find his vehicle, which he claimed had been stolen several hours earlier.

After being located, the man was handed over to Civil Administration officers, who then handed him over to the Israel Police for interrogation.

Israelis are barred from entering West Bank areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority.