Over 2,600 suspects nabbed after sneaking in from West Bank this month — police

Israel’s Border Police force says officers have caught over 2,600 undocumented Palestinians in Israel, and over 400 other people helping smuggle them over the porous West Bank security barrier this month.

A spokesperson says in a statement that over 100,000 stops were made of “suspects” over the last three or so weeks, netting 2,612 individuals allegedly in the country illegally, and another 456 people who allegedly drove, housed or employed the undocumented individuals, most of whom were likely construction workers.

It does not say if the individuals have been arrested or charged.

Israel has been focused on stemming the influx of Palestinians who sneak across the fence for work following a series of attacks by terrorists who used the same same holes in the barrier used by the laborers, according to the Israeli military.

The spokesperson says five more suspects were arrested Tuesday evening, after officers noticed four individuals hiding in the bushes and waiting for a ride near Oranit, a West Bank settlement that sits on the Israeli side of the security barrier.

Israeli Border Police officers react after a car carrying suspected undocumented Palestinians crashed into a makeshift checkpoint near Oranit in the West Bank the night before, in a picture distributed on May 25, 2022. (Courtesy: Israel Police)

After the four got in a car with Israeli plates, police set up a flying checkpoint, which the driver crashed into while trying to make a quick turnaround.

The statement says an officer was lightly injured in the leg. It does not say how the injury occurred.