Police Announce Nationwide Vehicle-Theft Arrests and 19% Drop in Car Thefts

Israel Police announced on October 8 that a nationwide operation led by the Etgar unit resulted in arrests of people suspected of vehicle thefts from Bat Yam and Tel Aviv. Police said the suspects had entered Israel unlawfully. In the same statement, police reported a 19% decline in thefts of private vehicles during 2026, attributing the decrease to operations by Etgar and police districts against the phenomenon. The announcement did not specify how many people were arrested, when the arrests took place, or the comparison period used for the theft figure.