The military has ruled out a suspected kidnapping after contact was lost with several Israelis who entered the Palestinian West Bank village of Mukhmas, north of Jerusalem, overnight.
At around 4 a.m., the military received a report from Israeli civilians who said they were in Mukhmas and “felt threatened.” The military says it then lost contact with the Israelis.
The army declared a suspected security incident after finding an abandoned and damaged vehicle with Israeli license plates just outside the village. The car also contained personal items apparently belonging to the Israelis.
Large forces from the IDF, Shin Bet, and Israel Police were deployed to the area to conduct searches, with the assistance of an Israeli Air Force helicopter. The IDF also encircled the village during the searches and blocked nearby roads.
Then this morning the army received a report from one of the civilians stating that they had all left the village.
The IDF says troops are still scanning the area to rule out any other possible security incidents.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, July 2, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
