Israeli soldier fakes kidnapping of Palestinian to extort family

An Israeli soldier serving as a prison guard was arrested for attempting to extort a Palestinian family in the occupied West Bank. The soldier staged the kidnapping of a Palestinian detainee, who was already in custody, by sending a photo to the family and demanding a ransom. The family contacted Israeli police, who then tracked the detainee's phone and uncovered the hoax. This event is presented within the context of a significant rise in army and settler violence against Palestinians, with human rights groups reporting thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and documenting widespread abuse.