Israeli Soldier and Two Women Rescued from Jericho After Illegal Entry

During the night of Saturday, Israeli forces from the Civil Administration evacuated an active-duty female soldier from the city of Jericho in the West Bank after she was found inside the city illegally. The soldier had entered Jericho along with an Arab Israeli friend to attend a birthday celebration in the Palestinian city center. Later that night, two additional Israeli women were also rescued after being spotted speaking Hebrew in the villa neighborhood of Jericho. They told security forces they had entered the city to meet friends they had met on a trip. The Coordination and Liaison Headquarters in the Jordan Valley acted quickly to provide protection and transfer the women to security forces. The cases have been handed over to the Judea and Samaria District Police, and the soldier is now under investigation by the Military Police Investigations Unit. Israeli security officials reiterated that entering Area A territories is illegal and life-threatening under Israeli law.