In a joint Sunday night operation, security personnel arrested two Palestinian Authority Arab suspects on suspicion of involvement in causing the wildfire that devastated Havat Gilad on Saturday.
The operation was conducted by detectives from the Israel Police Judea and Samaria District's Central Unit and the district's intelligence center, together with Border Police undercover officers and IDF troops from the Samaria Regional Brigade,
Following their arrests, the two suspects were transferred to the Judea and Samaria District's Central Unit for further questioning.
The Havat Gilad community committee welcomed the arrests, saying, "Just days after the devastating disaster in which dozens of homes in our community went up in flames, leaving many families without a roof over their heads, we have learned of the arrest of two suspects in the matter. The community committee thanks the security forces and police for the swift operation that led to the arrests. We demand that law enforcement authorities pursue the investigation to its conclusion, act decisively, and impose the harshest penalties allowed by law on those responsible for this criminal act. This is terrorism, and it must be treated as terrorism."
"The residents of Havat Gilad are now focused on recovery, rebuilding, and supporting the families who lost their homes. We thank the people of Israel for their tremendous support for the town's residents."
Click here to support the community of Havat Gilad.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also praised the arrests, saying, "I commend Judea and Samaria District Commander Moshe Pinchi and all the police forces for the swift and professional operation that led to the arrest of those suspected of setting the Havat Gilad fire. Anyone who sets fires, harms residents, and seeks to spread terror should know that the security forces will pursue them, find them, and bring them to justice. That is our policy, and we will continue to act decisively against anyone seeking to harm the security of Israel's citizens."
The investigation into the massive wildfire is focusing on a discarded cigarette that investigators believe ignited the blaze. Police recovered a cigarette butt at the fire's point of origin and found no other materials that could have been used to deliberately start the fire.
Security cameras operated by the IDF and the ISA (Shin Bet) captured the initial outbreak of the fire and vehicles traveling on Route 55 at the time it began.
Investigators believe one of the vehicles was from the Palestinian Authority, partly because traffic on the road was light on Saturday and few Israeli vehicles were traveling there at the time.