The IDF safely located nine Israelis after being dispatched to the West Bank village of Mukhmas on suspicion of kidnapping or a security event, the military confirmed on Thursday.
At approximately 4:00 a.m., the IDF received a report that a car with nine Israelis entered the village while being pursued by police.
The Israelis were later identified as Breslov Hassidim, one of whom told police that they had been attacked by Palestinians, according to N12. When the IDF arrived on the scene, their vehicle was found damaged and with no sign of the Israelis.
During the search, one of the civilians contacted security forces to inform them that everyone who had been in the vehicle had safely left the village after abandoning the car.
Later on Thursday, the IDF ruled out any possibility of a security-related incident following extensive searches in the area.
IDF soldier held in West Bank in criminal incident
Judea and Samaria Police rescued an IDF soldier from the West Bank town of Tarqumiyah last week following a report from Palestinian Authority security forces of a person in military uniform handcuffed in the center of the town.
The soldier, a resident of southern Israel serving in the IDF, was taken to the Hebron police station.
A preliminary investigation found that the soldier was unarmed.
The incident is believed to be criminal in nature rather than nationalistic or terror-motivated.
Both incidents follow similar reports over recent months of Israelis entering Area A of the West Bank before being rescued.
Walla contributed to this report.