The IDF Central Command has started to hand out kits with information on avoiding kidnapping to residents of Judea and Samaria.

According to the IDF Website, the kit includes instructional videos and guidebooks on improving personal security. Kits have been distributed to security coordinators in Judea and Samaria, who will distribute them further and educate the population regarding the threat.

The IDF hopes that the kit will help raise awareness amongst the citizens and help open lines of communication with the army should the need arise.

“Kidnappings are a very real threat, there are very clear intentions,” the Operations Officer of the Judea and Samaria Division, Lt. Col Amit Yamin, told the military website's Florit Shoihet. “The kits contain an explanation of the phenomenon, how to spot suspicious signs, the right way to behave in such a situation, and who to contact in case the situation arises.”

More than six months ago, the decision was made to distribute the “kidnapping kits” to soldiers serving under Central Command, especially to those stationed in Judea and Samaria. The kits warned soldiers against hitchhiking, and encouraged vigilance when waiting at bus stops. In addition, the IDF embarked on an advertising campaign to raise awareness amongst soldiers to the threat of kidnappings.

The Operations Branch has indicated that since the completion of the Gilad Shalit deal last summer, there has been an increase in the number of kidnapping attempts of both soldiers and civilians for the purpose of conducting prisoner exchanges. The IDF and the Shin Bet have foiled several kidnapping attempts by terrorists since the Shalit deal.