Israeli Police Arrest Suspects in Eastern Jerusalem Car Blast
Israeli police arrested two eastern Jerusalem residents after an IED detonated in a car, seriously injuring an occupant and damaging the vehicle.




















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Israeli police arrested two eastern Jerusalem residents after an IED detonated in a car, seriously injuring an occupant and damaging the vehicle.
Jerusalem, 21 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israeli Police arrested two residents of eastern Jerusalem on suspicion of involvement in detonating an improvised explosive device inside a vehicle while it was being driven, police said Sunday.
Officers responded over the weekend to reports of a car accident in which a private vehicle caught fire in the capital. An initial examination found that an explosion had occurred inside the car, apparently caused by an IED. One occupant was seriously injured and evacuated to hospital, and the vehicle sustained heavy damage.
The suspects were arrested shortly afterward, and police are expected to seek an extension of their detention in court.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the incident was terror or criminal in nature.
Three arrested in eastern Jerusalem for attacking police with stones and fireworks. Suspects resisted arrest, leading to use of riot control measures.
Jerusalem, 13 August, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Three eastern Jerusalem residents in their 20s were arrested on Tuesday night for throwing stones and shooting fireworks at security personnel, the Israel Police said on Wednesday.
The disturbance followed an earlier argument in the area that left several people injured. During searches of one suspect’s home, officers seized backpacks, bullets, and additional fireworks believed to have been used in the attack. Police said the suspects resisted Arrest, prompting officers to use riot control measures to restore order.
Israeli Police seize cache of weapons in late-night raid in eastern Jerusalem; suspect in his 20s arrested. M16 cartridges, knife, masks, and ammunition found.
Jerusalem, 5 August, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israeli Police arrested a man in his 20s from eastern Jerusalem after seizing a cache of Weapons and ammunition during a late-night raid, the Police said on Tuesday. The search, uncovered M16 cartridges, a commando knife, face masks, a vest, laser sights, and large quantities of ammunition hidden throughout the home.
The suspect was not present during the raid but was later apprehended and taken for questioning.
Israeli Police arrest eastern Jerusalem bus operator for unauthorized entry into Shechem. 50 Israelis detained, bus impounded for 30 days.
Jerusalem, 27 July, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israeli Police impounded a bus and arrested its operator on Sunday after it illegally transported around 50 Israelis into Shechem (Nablus).
Shechem is located in Area A of Judea and Samaria, meaning the Palestinian Authority has full security and administrative control. For security reasons, Israelis are prohibited by law from entering.
Police said the trip, carried out without coordination, violated security protocols and endangered lives. Five passengers were detained; one remains under court-ordered restrictions. The bus, found in eastern Jerusalem, was seized for 30 days under a new enforcement order. The company manager, an eastern Jerusalem resident, was arrested, and the driver is expected to be questioned.
A man in his 30s was arrested Monday morning on suspicion of fatally stabbing his three-year-old daughter in eastern Jerusalem, the Israeli ...
Jerusalem, 7 July, 2025 (TPS-IL) — A man in his 30s was arrested Monday morning on suspicion of fatally stabbing his three-year-old daughter in eastern Jerusalem, the Israeli Police said. Emergency services were called around 4 a.m., and medics found the child with stab wounds to her upper body. She showed no signs of life and was declared dead at the scene.
The father, who had fled, was found and detained shortly after.
Israeli security services have thwarted an Iranian-backed attempt to recruit Israelis for terrorist activity, officials said Tuesday ...
By Pesach Benson • June 3, 2025
Jerusalem, 3 June, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israeli security services have thwarted an Iranian-backed attempt to recruit Israelis for terrorist activity, officials said Tuesday following the arrest of an eastern Jerusalem resident accused of carrying out missions for Iranian intelligence.
The operation, jointly conducted by the Israeli Police and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) uncovered a plot involving a man in his 30s from the Isawiya neighborhood. According to the investigation, the suspect had been in contact with Iranian operatives and had already begun carrying out assignments for them across Jerusalem.
“The suspect was instructed to carry out various activities in Jerusalem, while being aware that he was dealing with a hostile entity interested in harming the security of the state,” the Shin Bet and police said in a joint statement. Among the missions he allegedly undertook were hanging signs, photographing strategic sites including the Western Wall and Mahane Yehuda Market, and burning Israeli military uniforms.
Authorities say the suspect received thousands of shekels for his activities and was tasked with planning a terrorist attack in central Israel intended to kill Jews, setting fire to a forest, and transferring weapons into Judea and Samaria. The suspect was arrested before he could finish carrying out these tasks.
During a search of his home, police found items believed to be connected to the case, including money he was paid for his missions, a spray paint can, two airsoft guns, and a substance suspected to be a drug.
The suspect also allegedly attempted to recruit his family to aid in the operations. “He even recommended recruiting his mother in exchange for thousands of shekels,” the statement said.
The Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office intends to file a formal indictment in the coming days.
“This combined investigation once again illustrates Iran’s efforts to recruit Israeli residents and citizens, including residents of eastern Jerusalem, to carry out terrorist activities within the territory of the State of Israel,” the statement said.
In a series of arrests highlighting a pattern of identity fraud, illegal employment and violence, Israeli authorities arrested four Palestinians in separate incidents for staying in Israel illegally, the police announced on Wednesday.
Jerusalem, 7 May, 2025 (TPS-IL) — In a series of arrests highlighting a pattern of identity fraud, illegal employment and violence, Israeli authorities arrested four Palestinians in separate incidents for staying in Israel illegally, the police announced on Wednesday.
The first arrest came after a Jerusalem hospital reported that a man seeking treatment was using a stolen identity. Officers found the suspect, a Bethlehem resident in his 20s, in possession of a health insurance card and documents belonging to an Israeli citizen. Police said the suspect had “habitually impersonated” the individual in order to receive medical services fraudulently, noting that he had a previous conviction for the same crime.
“Upon uploading the cardholder’s details, it was revealed that he had previously filed a complaint for identity theft,” police said.
The suspect was charged with impersonation to commit fraud and illegal residence.
During a separate eastern Jerusalem police operation, a Palestinian man in his 50s was found working at a construction site without a permit. The site’s owner, a local woman in her 40s, was also arrested on suspicion of employing him illegally. Both were released under restrictive conditions, and police said an indictment is expected soon.
A third investigation unfolded after police received a tip about a violent domestic incident. Officers arrested a man in his 30s who had allegedly assaulted his partner and mother in eastern Jerusalem. Further checks revealed he was living illegally in Israel under false pretenses.
“The suspect not only committed violent offenses but was residing unlawfully, violating both criminal and immigration laws,” police said. His detention has been extended until May 8 as investigations continue.
In a fourth case, linked to a violent clash between two families in eastern Jerusalem, police raided a residence and arrested a 19-year-old Palestinian from Hebron. Officers found him hiding in a house belonging to one of the families involved in the dispute. Two firearms were seized in the operation.
The suspect, who was unlawfully residing in Israel, was indicted following his questioning. The car wash where the shooting took place was closed for 30 days.
Israel's High Court blocks autopsies on toddlers Leah Tzipora Golovnetsitz & Aharon Katz from Jerusalem daycare disaster, citing religious grounds.
Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The High Court of Justice has accepted an appeal filed by ZAKA’s Legal Department, ruling that no autopsies will be conducted on the bodies of the two toddlers who died in a devastating Jerusalem daycare disaster. The appeal challenged an earlier decision by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court. The families of three-month-old Leah Tzipora Golovnetsitz and six-month-old Aharon (Ari) Katz had objected to the autopsies on religious grounds.
Doctors at Israel’s Institute of Forensic Medicine estimated the likely cause of death was heatstroke and dehydration, possibly linked to an air conditioner set to unusually high heat in a closed room, though they stressed that a final determination has not been made.
Israeli police are probing severe neglect at an unlicensed Jerusalem daycare after two infant deaths; two caregivers are held as shocking details emerge.
By Pesach Benson • January 20, 2026
Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli authorities on Tuesday extended the remand of two caregivers from an unlicensed daycare center in Jerusalem where two infants died, as investigators described what police said was severe and prolonged neglect at the facility.
The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court ordered that the daycare director and a caregiver remain in custody for an additional three days. Police had sought a longer extension, citing conditions discovered at the scene.
“I was shocked by what I saw,” a police representative told the court. “This was a private apartment that had been operating for years in a pirated manner. There was clear neglect there, without any threshold conditions for a sensitive place that is supposed to house tender babies.”
Investigators said the unregistered daycare had been operating for approximately 30 years. During questioning, the director told police that awake infants were supervised directly, while others slept in cribs or strollers scattered throughout the five-room apartment, with staff members checking on them periodically.
Police said evidence collected at the scene pointed to particularly disturbing practices. “There is a clear indication that for some reason they allow themselves to house babies in a toilet stall and let them lie under the toilet on mattresses,” the police representative said. The suspects claimed the baby may have crawled into the bathroom unnoticed, an explanation investigators rejected.
“It’s hard to believe that he crawled there and took a mattress with him,” the officer added. “A child of this age shouldn’t be in the toilet.”
Investigators also disclosed that during her interrogation, the daycare director said another toddler had died at the same facility 16 years earlier. She reportedly said the child had a disability or illness and that the death was never reported to police.
More than 50 toddlers, ages four months to three years, were evacuated from the apartment after what was initially believed to be carbon monoxide poisoning. Doctors at Israel’s Institute of Forensic Medicine later estimated the likely cause of death was heatstroke and dehydration, possibly linked to an air conditioner set to unusually high heat in a closed room, though they stressed that a final determination has not been made. Rescue personnel testified that when they arrived, the air conditioner was operating at a level that could be dangerous for infants.
The two infants who died were identified as three-month-old Leah Tzipora Golovnetsitz and six-month-old Aharon (Ari) Katz.
Hospitals said most of the evacuated children were released after observation. Hadassah Medical Center reported that more than 40 children were hospitalized overnight and discharged in good condition, while Shaare Zedek Medical Center said all 27 children it admitted were released. “We share in the grief of the families who lost their most precious loved ones,” said Dr. Gal Pahis of Shaare Zedek.
The court authorized autopsies to establish the precise cause of death, but issued a temporary stay to allow the families to appeal. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear petitions filed by ZAKA, a religious emergency response organization representing both families. The justices are expected to weigh religious objections against public health considerations and the needs of the criminal investigation. Judge Anat Greenbaum wrote that while she was aware of the families’ religious position, “it is important to clarify the cause of death for reasons of public health and the police investigation.”
The prospect of autopsies triggered violent protests in Orthodox (Haredi) neighborhoods of Jerusalem, as well as in Beit Shemesh and Bnei Brak. Demonstrators blocked roads, set trash containers on fire, uprooted trees, and hurled rocks and metal objects at vehicles. Police said an elderly man was pushed to the ground during the disturbances and several suspects were arrested. Light rail service in parts of Jerusalem was suspended, and public transportation in Beit Shemesh was largely shut down, with police sealing off a Haredi neighborhood for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ministry of Education confirmed the daycare was operating illegally and said it had issued a closure order. Child welfare advocates said the case highlights the dangers posed by unlicensed childcare facilities and called for immediate action to prevent similar tragedies.
This morning (Tuesday, January 26, 2026), inspectors from the Land Protection Division of the Israel Land Authority (ILA), accompanied by police forces, completed the seizure of possession and began the process of evacuating the UNRWA compound in the Ma’alot Dafna neighborhood in Jerusalem. The compound, which covers a central area of approximately 46 dunams between Machal, Netter, and Shlomo Zalman Shragai streets, was held for many years by individuals who served the UNRWA organization and served as the agency’s headquarters and activity center in the heart of the capital.
The unprecedented evacuation is being carried out under the “Law to Halt UNRWA Activity, 5785-2024,” following a dedicated legislative amendment that granted the ILA explicit authority to seize possession and evacuate compounds that served the organization. The Authority notes that although UNRWA’s official activity at the site ceased about a year ago, the compound remained occupied by trespassers and local elements who were present there illegally. Today’s enforcement action puts an end to the illegal holding of the property.
Now that the land is returning to state management, the ILA emphasizes that the Authority will act to promote its planning and development in order to market it for the benefit of the Israeli public. Within the compound, there is a historic building: “The Police Academy,” designated as a preservation building, and the Authority will act to preserve it as part of the future planning of the area.
The ILA notes that the compound in the Ma’alot Dafna neighborhood is the first of the organization’s compounds designated for evacuation after the law came into effect. The organization has another compound in the area of Kafr Aqab in Jerusalem, where possession will also be seized and evacuation will be carried out soon in accordance with the law’s provisions and the legislator’s decision. The operation was carried out with the assistance of the Israel Police and in full coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Security Council (NSC), and the Jerusalem Municipality.
The enforcement operation carried out by the Israel Land Authority this morning comes after a series of revelations about the involvement of the organization’s employees in the murderous terrorist attack of October 7, as well as revelations about the use of the organization’s facilities in Gaza to hide Israeli hostages.