Israeli soldier suspected of faking the kidnapping of a Palestinian detainee. An investigation has been launched
Israeli naval commando troops Photo: IDF/GPO / Sipa Press / Profimedia
The Israeli army announced on Sunday that it had launched an investigation into a soldier suspected of faking the kidnapping of a Palestinian prisoner and demanded a ransom from his family, according to AFP.
The Palestinian man was being held in a detention center when a military police guard photographed him and sent the image to his family, claiming he had been kidnapped, The Times of Israel reported.
In a separate report, Israel's army radio station reported that the soldier asked the family to transfer money to him to free the Palestinian.
The army confirmed the case to AFP and said an investigation had been launched, without giving further details.
“Following the incident, the Internal Investigation Unit opened an investigation,” the Israeli military said. “We will not release details about the investigation while it is ongoing.”
The Palestinian had been detained while trying to enter Israel illegally from the occupied West Bank, according to The Times of Israel.
Last year, thousands of Palestinians tried to enter Israel illegally
Israeli security officials say a significant number of Palestinians from the West Bank are trying to enter Israel illegally. Palestinian officials say the reasons are largely due to economic hardship and the loss of work permits in the context of the Gaza war.
Most of them are under arrest, while some have died or been injured while trying to flee Israeli forces, Palestinian officials said.
An Israeli parliamentary committee said in October that 6,000 Palestinians tried to enter Israel 6 at the barrier that separates Jerusalem from Palestinian territory.
Israel began building it at the height of the second Palestinian intifada, which broke out in 2002, claiming it was needed to maintain security in the wake of suicide bombings in Jerusalem and Israeli cities.
The barrier crosses many parts of the West Bank, and Palestinians consider it a land grab and a de facto border, illegal under international law. In addition, they argue that the barrier has exacerbated the economic crisis in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.
