Police stop suspect car on Ayalon Highway, Tel Aviv
Police stop suspect car on Ayalon Highway, Tel AvivOfficial Police Facebook

Just before 4 p.m. on Thursday at the height of traffic, a central highway near Tel Aviv was closed to traffic during a car chase with a suspicious car with residents from Gaza inside, in what was initially suspected to be possible terrorist activity.

Highway 20, more commonly known as Ayalon Highway, was closed going northwards near Shalom Interchange after the suspicious car was located by police.

Inside the car was an Arab resident of Arara, a town located in the coastal region to the east of Hadera, along with two Arab women from Gaza who had entered Israel illegally. The three refused to heed the requests of police and drove off at high speeds before police finally were able to stop them.

Video has surfaced showing the arrest of the man from Arara, during which police protocol meant to protect officers from potential concealed weapons or explosives was used. Click the image below to view the footage.

Police inspected the vehicle but found the car did not contain any explosives or weapons, at which point the highway was reopened to traffic after roughly half-an-hour of being brought to a complete standstill.

The three suspects were arrested and brought in for investigation.

Police blocking traffic during incident
Police blocking traffic during incidentOfficial Police Facebook