Authorities seize thousands of stolen artifacts in raid on antiquities smuggler's home in West Bank

Thousands of illegally acquired antiquities, dating from the Persian to Byzantine eras, were seized during a raid on a suspected antiquities smuggler's home in the Jordan Valley. The cache included approximately 400 ancient coins, pottery fragments, arrowheads, a dagger, and seals. The raid, a joint operation by the Civil Administration's Archaeology Unit, Border Police, IDF, and Nature and Parks Authority, targeted an individual suspected of illegal excavations in the Israeli-controlled Area C of the West Bank. The suspect was arrested prior to the raid while possessing metal detectors and excavation tools. This operation is part of a broader effort to combat antiquities smuggling and illegal excavations in the region. The Civil Administration's Archaeology Unit oversees the preservation and management of over 2,600 archaeological sites in the West Bank.