Israeli Forces Search Palestinian Village for Missing Breslov Hasidim in West Bank

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Thursday morning that security forces have been conducting searches since early hours for Israeli citizens in the Palestinian village of Muqamas in the Binyamin region. The missing individuals are Breslov Hasidim who had come to visit the graves of righteous figures in the area. The IDF stated that the group likely left the village on their own, but the search operations continue. The military has ruled out a kidnapping.

The incident began around 4:00 a.m. when a report was received indicating several Israeli civilians were in the village and contact was lost. The IDF deployed forces to search the area to exclude any security incident. Between eight and ten Israelis were reportedly involved. The army managed to contact some of them, who confirmed that the others had left the area, yet the searches remain ongoing.

Concerns escalated after a damaged and abandoned vehicle with Israeli license plates was found near the village, containing personal belongings believed to belong to the Israelis. Following the report, numerous IDF, police, and Shin Bet units, including special forces and attack helicopters, were mobilized. The village was surrounded and nearby roads blocked to facilitate the search.

At approximately 6:40 a.m., one of the civilians reported that all occupants of the vehicle had exited the village area. Despite this, forces continued to search to rule out any security threats. Footage from Muqamas showed the heavily damaged vehicle with shattered windows and Breslov Hasidim hats left on the seats.