Israeli Youths Faked Kidnapping After Entering Palestinian Village to Party

Early Thursday morning, Israeli police received a distress call from a minor reporting that he and two others had been kidnapped and were being taken to the Palestinian village of Hizme. "Get here quickly, they are kidnapping us," the caller reportedly said. Jerusalem District Police immediately mobilized significant forces, including the West Bank police, IDF troops, and other security personnel, to locate the individuals. The three, identified as two minors aged 15 and a 40-year-old man, all residents of Jerusalem, had entered the village voluntarily to party. Shortly after, police officers from the Binyamin station found them unharmed near the village. During questioning, it emerged that the group had entered Hizme of their own accord for entertainment and later, out of fear, falsely reported being kidnapped. They were investigated for providing false information, a serious offense, and for violating legal orders prohibiting entry into Palestinian villages. Following their court appearance, they were released under restrictive conditions, and the investigation is ongoing.