Security forces were conducting a large-scale manhunt in the area of Tulkarm on Thursday following the reported kidnapping of an Israeli debt-collector by masked men in the West Bank town.
A curfew was clamped on Tulkarm and neighboring villages as armed units conducted house-to-house searches.
Roadblocks were set up, but as of Thursday evening no progress was reported.
The victim, Shaul Mashani of Bat Yam, was abducted Wednesday evening as he drove into Tulkarm in a local taxi, apparently to collect debts.
The taxi driver told police later that his cab was stopped at the entrance to town by masked men wielding knives and axes. They forced him to detour and took Mashani with them, telling the driver his fare would return after a while.
But he didn’t return. After waiting several hours, the driver reported the incident to the police.
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