Israel Border Police and Northern District police arrested 42 illegal Palestinians from the Gaza Strip at three locations in Nazareth on Tuesday during a targeted operation.
As part of the raid, the officers found 28 illegal residents in one building, alongside a commercial quantity of goods of uncertain ownership. Eleven additional illegal residents were caught in a separate apartment, while three were detained in yet another residence.
All 42 suspects, and the seized goods, were transferred to the Northern District police headquarters in the city.
“I am proud of the Border Police and Northern District officers for the impressive and determined operational activity, during which 42 illegal residents from Gaza were caught,” said Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. “This is the policy: acting with determination, on the ground, with zero tolerance, and the results speak for themselves,” he added.
In October, Knesset member Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism Party) called on then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to order the immediate arrest of all illegals from the Gaza Strip residing in the Jewish state.
According to Sukkot, who chairs the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s subcommittee for Judea and Samaria, Palestinians from Gaza are let roam freely in the region due to a lack of prison space.
“The next attack can be prevented, and the security establishment must do so,” he wrote at the time. “All potential terrorists who infiltrated Judea and Samaria from the Gaza Strip must be arrested and immediately returned to the Strip, without the need for any place of detention.”
This is an edited version of an article originally published by Israel Hayom.
