Body of East Jerusalem Man Found Near Bethlehem as Police Rule Out Terror Motive

The body of an Israeli resident of east Jerusalem in his 40s was discovered in the Wadi Rahal area near Bethlehem in the West Bank, police reported on Monday, October 26.

Police officers, forensic investigators and IDF soldiers went to the scene and began gathering evidence. The body is expected to be taken to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute so the cause of death can be established. According to police, early findings suggest the incident was criminal in nature and not an act of terror.

In a separate matter, Israeli security forces detained a Palestinian resident of the West Bank in Bethlehem during raids on Sunday night. Police said the man is allegedly affiliated with Hamas. Three suspects in total were arrested during the overnight military activity.

Acting on intelligence gathered earlier, forces searched the home of the suspected Hamas operative and the home of another Bethlehem resident suspected of having weapons. Police said they confiscated a loaded hunting rifle, IDF uniforms and "various technological items." The two men were taken to the Ma'ale Adumim police station for further questioning. They are accused of offenses involving the carrying and possession of illegal weapons, as well as unauthorized possession of military equipment.

In another search, forces arrested a man in his 30s near Hebron. Police said he had a hunting rifle and a large quantity of ammunition.

Also on Sunday, police and Border Police officers uncovered a large cache of weapons stolen from the IDF in Kalansuwa, a majority-Arab city in central Israel. Two arrests followed. The operation was part of a broader initiative to reduce violent crime in the Arab sector.

During a targeted search of an open area in the city, forces seized a Kalashnikov rifle, three M-16 assault rifles, eight handguns, six fragmentation grenades, two stun grenades, thousands of rounds of various ammunition and three tactical vests. A police explosives expert was called in to deal with the grenades. Two family members who were at the site during the raid were taken in for questioning. All the weapons were submitted as potential evidence, and the investigation was still ongoing at the time of reporting.

Over the weekend, police also freed a man found chained to the floor of a home in Rahat. Officers came across him, with his leg shackled, during an operation aimed at locating and confiscating illegal weapons in the city.

Preliminary findings indicate that his own family members chained him, allegedly because of his drug use. His brother, a Rahat resident, was arrested soon afterward and brought to the Rahat police station for questioning.