About 95% of Palestinian infiltrators caught by security forces along the separation barrier in Yehudah and Shomron during the war were released without trial or prosecution, Army Radio reported on Sunday.

Official IDF data obtained by Army Radio shows that illegal infiltrators crossed the security fence in large numbers in 2024 and 2025, and even the few who were caught were not prosecuted.

In 2025, the IDF and Border Police caught 6,807 infiltrators along the seam line, but indictments were filed against only 405 of them—around 6%. In 2024, 10,825 infiltrators were caught, and only 334 faced trial—just 4%.

According to security officials, several failures in the security system are responsible for the situation.

1. Difficulty establishing evidence proving that those caught near the fence on the Palestinian side actually intended to cross it.

2. A severe shortage of investigators in the relevant police and Border Police investigative units.

3. A severe shortage of prison spaces—detention and incarceration facilities in Yehuda and Shomron are at 100% capacity, with no vacancies. Even when infiltrators are caught, they are often released shortly later because there is nowhere to hold them in custody.

4. Poor coordination among security bodies, particularly with the Defense Ministry. According to senior sources familiar with the matter, the Defense Ministry’s Crossing Authority security personnel simply allow drivers transporting illegal entrants to continue on their way without detaining them or handing them over to police.

“We’re only catching mosquitoes instead of draining the swamp,” a senior IDF official said in fierce criticism of Defense Ministry personnel.

Security officials describe a grim reality of poor coordination among the security agencies, with each one throwing the responsibility on the other. The Shin Bet shirks involvement in the issue because infiltration is not defined as a security offense, the police have manpower shortages, the Prison Service lacks prison spaces, and the IDF lacks enough troops to supervise the fence.

This is what a multi-system failure looks like.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)