JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Over the past month, police received numerous reports about a serious phenomenon involving the tearing down and theft of dozens of mezuzahs from many buildings in the cities of Jaffa and Bat Yam.
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Following the reports, the Jaffa police launched an undercover investigation, incorporating advanced technological means, with the aim of locating those involved in these serious acts.
As the investigation progressed and evidence was gathered, an operational effort combined with intelligence activity led to the identification of the suspect, who allegedly posed as a Wolt courier and carried out the abhorrent acts of removing and stealing mezuzahs from residential buildings.
#ינוניוז
בימים האחרונים התגברו מאוד הארועים של תלישת מזוזות מדלתות של בתי יהודים ביפו.
הנה ערבי תולש מזוזה (או שתיים) ובורח: pic.twitter.com/ebuQaILGpM— ינון מגל (@YinonMagal) January 6, 2026
Police reported this morning that during overnight activity by the Jaffa police, the suspect was observed by detectives who had been deployed in a prolonged ambush. He arrived at the area of an abandoned building in Jaffa while riding a bicycle and met with another individual.
At that stage, the detectives arrested the suspects, and during a search seized items linking the main suspect to the offenses attributed to him.
The main suspect and an additional suspec, both illegal residents from Hebron in their 20s, were transferred for questioning at the Jaffa police investigations unit.
The police stated:
“According to the developments in the investigation, a decision will be made regarding bringing the suspects before the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court for a hearing on the extension of their detention.”