Israeli police stop about 70 Palestinians hiding in a garbage truck trying to enter Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — About 70 Palestinian men were found hiding inside a garbage truck by Israeli police as they attempted to cross into Israel from the occupied West Bank, apparently in search of work.

Israeli police released footage showing the back of the truck when it was being opened late Monday, revealing the men tightly crammed inside the truck’s waste compartment. Police are seen in the video, some with their weapons drawn, surrounding the truck.

Some of the men inside raised their hands in the air or put them behind their heads as they were discovered and pulled out of the truck, one by one. Occasionally, a voice in Arabic can be heard commanding: “Eskot,” or “Be silent.”

Israel’s Defense Ministry said the men were “trying to infiltrate central Israel” and that they were stopped at a West Bank checkpoint.

Authorities did not provide details on the motive for the attempted entry, but Ital Almog, a local police commander, described them as “illegal entrants,” a term that usually refers to Palestinians entering Israel in search of work.

Almog said the men were on their way to cities across Israel and taken for questioning. The driver, an Israeli citizen, was driving without a proper license and arrested.

Israeli police have routinely reported illegal entrants from the Israeli-occupied West Bank after Israel revoked tens of thousands of Palestinian work permits since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

The large number of men and grim conditions of the garbage truck incident highlighted the level of desperation and the lengths that some are willing to go.

Some in the West Bank have said they haven’t been able to pay rent after losing the permit to work inside Israel. Confined to the occupied territory, where jobs are scarce and wages far lower, some have sold their belongings or gone into debt as they try to pay for food, electricity and school expenses for their children. Others have paid steep fees for black-market permits or tried to sneak into Israel, risking arrest or worse if they are mistaken for militants.

Israel, which has controlled the West Bank since capturing it nearly six decades ago, says it is under no obligation to allow Palestinians to enter for work and makes such decisions based on security considerations.

Before the war, tens of thousands of Palestinians worked inside Israel, mainly in construction and service jobs.

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Associated Press journalists Mariam Fam in Cairo, Natalie Melzer in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Sam Metz in the West Bank city of Ramallah contributed to this report.