East Jerusalem man found dead near Bethlehem, police conduct series of West Bank raids

The body of an Israeli resident of east Jerusalem in his 40s was found in the Wadi Rahal area near Bethlehem in the West Bank, police said on Monday.Police officers, forensic investigators, and IDF soldiers were dispatched to the scene and began collecting evidence. The body is expected to be transferred to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute to determine the cause of death. Initial findings indicate the incident was criminal in nature, rather than terror-related, police said. Man with suspected Hamas ties arrested overnight in BethlehemIn a separate incident, Israeli security forces arrested a Palestinian resident of the West Bank during overnight raids on Sunday night in Bethlehem, who is allegedly affiliated with the Hamas terrorist organization, according to police.A total of three suspects were arrested during the Sunday night military activity. Acting on previously gathered intelligence, Israeli security forces searched the home of the suspected Hamas operative as well as one other Bethlehem resident who was suspected of possessing weapons. During the searches, Israeli forces confiscated a loaded hunting rifle, IDF uniforms, and "various technological items," according to the Israel Police statement. Police arrested the two suspects and transferred them to the Ma'ale Adumim police station for further investigation. They are accused of offenses related to carrying and possessing illegal weapons, as well as unauthorized possession of military equipment. In a separate search, Israeli forces arrested a man in his 30s near the city of Hebron who was found to be in possession of a hunting rifle and a large amount of ammunition. Also on Sunday, police and Border Police officers found a large cache of weapons stolen from the IDF in Kalansuwa, a majority-Arab city in central Israel, and made two arrests in connection with the discovery. The weapons were seized during a police operation which was carried out as part of a larger initiative to reduce Arab sector violent crime. While conducting a targeted search on an open area in the city, Israeli forces found and seized a Kalashnikov rifle, three M-16 assault rifles, eight handguns, six fragmentation grenades, two stun grenades, thousands of rounds of ammunition of various types, and three tactical vests. A police explosives expert was dispatched to the scene to handle the grenades once the weapons were discovered. Two people, family members who were present at the site during the raid, were arrested during the operation and taken in for questioning. Police submitted all seized weaponry as potential evidence, and the investigation is still ongoing as of press time. Rahat resident found chained to the floor of home, brother arrestedOver the weekend, police rescued a man who was found chained to the floor of a home in Rahat during an operation intended to locate and confiscate illegal weapons in the city. Israel Police free a man who was chained to the floor of a Rahat residence on October 25, 2026 (CREDIT: ISRAEL POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT).Upon discovering the man, whose leg was shackled to the floor of the home, police freed him and worked to uncover the circumstances surrounding his imprisonment. Preliminary findings indicate that he was chained up by his own family members, police said, allegedly due to his use of drugs. The man's brother, a Rahat resident, was arrested shortly thereafter and taken to the Rahat police station for questioning.