IDF reservists have uncovered dozens of stolen laptops and smartphones in a house in the Hebron area, following a social media post by a Tel Aviv resident about his stolen equipment. The discovery led to the return of several devices to their rightful owners, with more expected to be returned in the future.
The incident came to light when Michael, a new immigrant in his twenties living in Tel Aviv, posted on social media about items stolen from his home, including a computer and professional headphones. Using Apple's tracking app, Michael located his computer in Dura, a village in the Hebron area.
An IDF reservist, who saw Michael's post on Facebook, reached out to him, offering to search for the computer as they were operating in the area. During a house search, the reservists found numerous laptops and cellular devices, including Michael's computer.
The reservist, part of the second reserve rotation since the start of the conflict, described the operation: "We found many laptops, perhaps dozens, including Michael's computer. We also recovered a large number of devices that were returned or will be returned to their owners in the future."
One particularly touching moment involved returning an iPhone to its owner, who had been using it to contact her family. The reservist noted, "She was in shock; she didn't expect to get her device back."
The IDF clarified that while it's rewarding to return important items to people, this isn't the army's primary mission. The reservist estimated that the equipment was likely stolen from central Israel and ended up in the territories through various intermediaries.
Currently, the IDF is working to determine the ownership of the remaining equipment found. "We're opening and trying to understand who it belongs to; it's the only way to return people's belongings to them," the reservist explained.
Source: Ynet