From the Liveblog of
Thursday, July 9, 2026
Police respond to suspected kidnapping of soldier by Palestinian who turns out to be her boyfriend
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Police officers were dispatched to the Gush Etzion area in the West Bank following a suspected kidnapping of an IDF servicewoman by a Palestinian man, who was later revealed to have been her boyfriend.
Police say that officers rushed to the area after receiving reports of an armed female Israeli soldier entering a car with Palestinian license plates.
Officers intercepted the car a short while later on Route 375 near the settlement of Beitar Illit, with the Israeli servicewoman “sitting inside the vehicle safe and unharmed.”
“A preliminary investigation found that the two are a couple,” police say in a statement, adding that a report was forwarded to the Military Police, who sent officers to the scene to investigate.
The servicewoman’s weapon was confiscated, and both the soldier and the Palestinian man were taken to a nearby police station, police add.
A romantic relationship between an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian is not explicitly illegal under Israeli law, but is prohibited by the IDF’s protocols. In the past, soldiers have faced disciplinary action for such relationships.
The Times of Israel Community.