JENIN (West Bank), Aug 27: An Israeli soldier on Monday strayed into one of the most volatile cities in the occupied West Bank where he was picked up by Palestinian security and handed back safely, officials said.

“He entered Jenin by mistake and was evacuated by the Palestinian security forces in cooperation with the IDF,” an army spokeswoman said.

A Palestinian security official said the army captain – wearing a uniform but driving a civilian car – strayed by mistake into central Jenin, where security officers found him and handed him over to the Israeli army.

The soldier’s vehicle was set alight and destroyed by angry civilians and his M-16 was stolen from inside the car, the security official said.

The Palestinian security forces who rescued the officer also exchanged fire briefly with gunmen, Lieutenant Colonel Fares Atila told army radio.

He said the Israeli officer had not been carrying a weapon.

Jenin, the most northerly city in the West Bank, is a bastion of radical Palestinian militants and has been the target of numerous Israeli incursions.—AFP