A group of 23 deaf and mute Israelis were extracted from the West Bank city of Nablus by security forces on Saturday after they were reportedly invited there by a deaf and non-verbal Palestinian man in the city, the military said.

The Israelis explained that they had been invited by the Palestinian for a meal at his home, according to the Kan public broadcaster.

The report said that a local man was surprised to see the group of Israelis walking in the Palestinian-controlled city and had alerted local security forces.

The Israelis were detained by Palestinian security officers and then handed over to Israel, Kan said.

According to the Civil Administration, a branch of the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which manages civilian affairs in the West Bank, the group entered the city in six vehicles bearing Israeli license plates.

Officers from COGAT’s Coordination and Liaison Administration........

© The Times of Israel