Separately, Israel Police on Thursday arrested a resident of the West Bank town of Tarqumiyah suspected of being involved in the criminally motivated kidnapping of an IDF soldier.Follow us on GoogleThe IDF arrests eight Palestinians in Mukhmas suspected of attacking Israelis, July 3, 2026.(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAMJULY 3, 2026 10:21The IDF's Duvdevan unit, acting on intelligence from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), arrested eight Palestinians suspected of chasing and assaulting Israeli civilians during Thursday's incident in the West Bank village of Mukhmas, the military and Shin Bet announced in a Friday morning joint statement.All eight were transferred to security forces for further processing.Duvdevan is a commando unit responsible for the military's undercover counterterrorism operations in the West Bank.On Thursday, Maariv reported that several Israeli Breslov hassidim had allegedly fled to a Palestinian village in an attempt to outrun the Israel Police, after police attempted to pull over their vehicle after it was observed driving erratically.After fleeing to Mukhmas, the hassidim contacted Israeli security forces, saying that a group of Palestinians had surrounded their vehicle and were throwing stones at them.IDF soldiers operate in the West Bank village of Mukhmas, July 3, 2026. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)The IDF and Shin Bet responded by dispatching commandos and a combat helicopter, fearing a kidnapping attempt.They located the vehicle and rescued the group, later ruling out any possibility of a security-related incident following extensive searches in the area.Israel Police arrest suspect in criminal kidnapping of IDF soldierSeparately, Israel Police officers from Hebron arrested on Thursday a resident of the West Bank town of Tarqumiyah suspected of being involved in the criminally motivated kidnapping of an IDF soldier last week. The suspect has been transferred to the police's southern district for further questioning.Ynet named the suspect in a Friday morning report as 49-year-old Walid Farouk, adding that he is a member of the "Palestinian Shin Bet" (likely referring to the Palestinian Security Services).According to the report, Farouk and an additional individual are believed to have kidnapped the soldier from Beersheba before bringing them to the West Bank.The two reportedly blindfolded and physically harmed the soldier.The soldier was rescued from Tarqumiyah by Judea and Samaria Police 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 Military Police Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the case, and it is expected that the case will be transferred to the National Crime Unit - Lahav 433 for further investigation.The incident follows similar reports over recent months of Israelis entering Area A of the West Bank before being rescued.Shir Perets, Jerusalem Post Staff, Walla, Avi Ashkenazi, and Amir Bohbot contributed to this report.Follow us on Google