Numerous recent terror attacks were perpetrated by Palestinians who illegally crossed into Israel.
By World Israel News Staff
Almost 200 Palestinians who illegally infiltrated into Israel without work permits were arrested in a large-scale raid conducted by the Border Police, the authorities announced on Wednesday.
As part of a massive effort to round up illegal residents, Border Police forces and reservists arrested 174 men in the cities of Lod and Ramla who did not have permission to work or live in Israel.
After being detained, nearly all of the men were transported back to Palestinian Authority-administered areas in Judea and Samaria, Kipa reported.
One of the arrested men, a resident of the Gaza Strip in his 20s, was discovered to be in possession of an assault rifle. He was transferred to the Shin Bet security agency for questioning.
The sweep comes on the heels of a spike in terror attacks that began in 2022, many of which were carried out by Palestinians who were illegally residing in Israel or regularly crossed the border illicitly in order to work.
Earlier in July, a Palestinian affiliated with Hamas infiltrated into Israel, stole a truck and rammed his vehicle into a crowd of people waiting at a Tel Aviv bus stop.
After crashing the truck, he exited the vehicle and stabbed several passersby. Nine people were hurt in the attack. A pregnant woman who was seriously wounded in the attack later suffered a miscarriage.
The terrorist, who was from a town near Jenin and had no authorization to be in Israel, was shot dead by an armed civilian.
Israel’s security barrier, which separates Jewish communities in central Israel from PA enclaves, has been notoriously porous for years.
Numerous terror attacks committed in Israel in recent years were perpetrated by Palestinians who crossed the fence without being identified by security forces.