A new investigative report reveals that Arabs living in Palestinian Authority-controlled areas have discovered a way to enter any neighborhood in Jerusalem without being detected by Israeli police, raising serious security concerns.

Journalist Yedidia Epstein reported Sunday night on the Israeli outlet Hamal that suspected infiltrators are bypassing Israel’s border security apparatus by entering Jerusalem through sewage tunnels that run beneath the security fence.

Epstein said a recently reported drop in Arabs entering Jewish neighborhoods in the capital was only superficial, because they’ve simply begun bypassing security measures that track them.

According to his report, infiltrators reach the security fence and descend into a manhole that had been widened in advance to allow human passage. On the Israeli-controlled side, smugglers equipped with electric cutting tools reportedly break through metal bars guarding the underground tunnels, creating a concealed route that avoids surface-level surveillance.

After slipping under the fence line, infiltrators emerge at a concealed exit point, move through an open sewage channel, and enter directly into a residential neighborhood in Jerusalem, beyond the reach of routine monitoring. A vehicle then waits at a prearranged location to transport them to destinations across the country.

Hamal described the operation as a structured, profit-driven enterprise. Each infiltrator allegedly pays around 800 shekels, with the proceeds split between the “engineer” who prepares the underground route and the driver who handles transportation on the Israeli side.

The revelations have triggered a familiar jurisdictional dispute between Israel’s security agencies.

In a statement to Hamal, the Israel Police said responsibility for preventing illegal entry lies with the military. “Preventing the infiltration of illegal entrants into the territory of the State of Israel is the responsibility of the IDF,” police said, adding that the underground pit in question is located in infrastructure under military authority.

The IDF confirmed the incident is under review. “IDF forces are operating in a joint effort with the Shin Bet, the Israel Police, and additional bodies to thwart terrorism and the entry of infiltrators into Israeli territory across the entire area,” the military said in a statement. It pointed to dedicated forces along the seam line, observation posts, patrols, ambushes and “extensive intelligence efforts.”

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