A 36-year-old Palestinian arrested near the Jerusalem security barrier admitted to digging a tunnel in an attempt to infiltrate Israeli territory, police told JNS on Tuesday.
“The suspect led the officers back to the shaft and, during an initial questioning, claimed that the intention was to dig a tunnel in order to infiltrate Israeli territory,” Israel Police Spokesperson Dean Elsdunne said in a written statement.
Border Police officers in the Jerusalem periphery arrested a suspect identified digging a shaft adjacent to the Security Barrier near Qalandiya.
— Israel Police (@israelpolice) August 17, 2026
The 36-year-old Qalandiya resident admitted during initial questioning that the intention was to dig a tunnel into Israeli territory.… pic.twitter.com/RrNS1mMUm5
Jerusalem periphery Border Police officers were dispatched to the Qalandia area, near Ramallah in Samaria, after lookouts from the Atarot Command Center spotted several individuals digging beside the barrier.
Elsdunne added more details about the incident, following an initial Israel Police report on Monday, which stated that the suspects fled as officers approached, prompting a foot chase during which police fired shots into the air.
“At the conclusion of the pursuit, officers arrested a 36-year-old suspect, a resident of Qalandiya,” Elsdunne said, adding that the suspect “did not have any valid documents or permits to enter Israel.” During initial questioning, the man claimed the group intended to dig a tunnel to illegally cross into the country.
Authorities discovered digging tools and buckets at the excavation site.
The suspect, along with the recovered evidence, was transferred to the Jerusalem periphery Border Police Investigations and Intelligence Office. The investigation remains ongoing, with additional arrests expected.
