Israel Police operating in the West Bank have opened investigations into three suspects arrested over the weekend for illegal possession of firearms and other weapons, as well as gazelles, a protected species in Israel, police announced on Sunday.
The suspects were arrested during a military operation during which illegal firearms were seized across the West Bank.
In the village of Shufa, near Tulkarm, Israeli forces acting on previously gathered intelligence found three hunting rifles hidden in a civilian home and an adjacent greenhouse, along with a large amount of ammunition, IDF uniform pants, and two knives. Police arrested the suspect, a Shufa resident in his 40s, at the scene.
Police also found and seized four gazelles being held there, which were later handed over to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority due to their status as protected animals.
Israeli forces arrest two in Nablus region
In Askar, a refugee camp on the outskirts of Nablus, Israeli forces seized an M-16 rifle and a handgun, both hidden inside a home, and arrested a Nablus resident in his 20s in connection with the find.
In the village of Bizzariya, about 13 km. (8 miles) northwest of Nablus, Israeli forces seized a hunting rifle while responding to a reported shooting. The man suspected of possessing the rifle, a resident of the village in his 20s, was arrested