Last night (Monday), in the late evening hours, the IDF received reports about a silver vehicle traveling near the Tapuach Junction in the heart of Samaria, from which the cries of ‘Help’ from a young girl were heard. This immediately raised suspicion and concern of an Israeli being kidnapped by terrorist elements, in an event similar to many that have occurred in Judea and Samaria – such as the kidnapping of the three boys in 2014, the kidnapping of Eliyahu Asheri in 2006, the kidnapping of Nachshon Wachsman in 1994, and many other difficult cases. The common denominator in most of these cases, historically, was the diminishing chances of rescuing the abductee as time passed – necessitating swift action by the IDF.
Soon, IDF forces in the area, from the Samaria, Binyamin, and Ephraim brigades, began extensive ground operations, including searches and roadblocks. The suspicious silver vehicle was quickly located, and no evidence of kidnapping was found. Shortly after, when no additional information surfaced and the searches yielded no further results, the IDF officially ruled out the suspicion of kidnapping.
The event that occurred yesterday in Samaria demonstrated the IDF’s high level of readiness and its preparedness to act swiftly to thwart kidnapping attempts specifically, and terrorist attacks against Israeli residents in general. It is also important to note that although this case was a false alarm, bystanders should remain vigilant to their surroundings and be aware of unusual events, ready to report to the IDF and assist its operations from the civilian side.”
