Weapons Seizures and Arrests Spread Across West Bank and Central Israel

Israeli security forces recovered a cache of weapons stolen from the IDF in Kalansuwa on Sunday, including a Kalashnikov rifle, three M-16 assault rifles, eight handguns, six fragmentation grenades, two stun grenades, and three tactical vests. Police also seized thousands of rounds of ammunition and dispatched an explosives expert to handle the grenades. Two family members present at the site were arrested and taken for questioning; police submitted the seized items as evidence.

The discovery followed searches in Bethlehem on Sunday night. Acting on intelligence, forces searched the homes of a Palestinian resident suspected of Hamas affiliation and one other resident suspected of possessing weapons. During the searches, forces confiscated a loaded hunting rifle, IDF uniforms, and technological items. Two suspects were arrested and transferred to the Ma'ale Adumim police station for investigation. They face charges related to illegal weapons possession and unauthorized possession of military equipment.

In a separate search near Hebron, a man in his 30s was arrested and found in possession of a hunting rifle and a large amount of ammunition. A total of three suspects were arrested during the Sunday night military activity.

Over the weekend, police rescued a man found chained to the floor of a home in Rahat during an operation targeting illegal weapons. Police freed the man and began investigating the circumstances of his confinement. Preliminary findings indicate his family chained him due to his drug use. His brother, a Rahat resident, was arrested and taken to the Rahat police station for questioning.

Police also reported finding the body of an east Jerusalem resident in his 40s in the Wadi Rahal area near Bethlehem on Monday. Officers, forensic investigators, and IDF soldiers were dispatched to the scene to collect evidence. The body is expected to be transferred to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute to determine the cause of death. Police said initial findings indicate the incident was criminal in nature rather than terror-related.