IDF searches for Israeli civilians last heard from in West Bank

Several Israeli Breslov hassidim, whom the IDF earlier feared had been kidnapped, allegedly fled to a Palestinian village in an attempt to outrun the Police, according to a Maariv report on Thursday.Police attempted to pull over their vehicle after it was observed driving erratically, Maariv reported.After fleeing to the West Bank village of Mukhmas, the hassidim contacted Israeli security forces, saying a group of Palestinians had surrounded their vehicle and were throwing stones at them.The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) responded by dispatching special forces and a combat helicopter, fearing a kidnapping attempt, locating the vehicle and rescuing the group.The military later ruled out any possibility of a security-related incident following extensive searches in the area.IDF soldier held in West Bank in criminal incidentJudea 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 and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.