The family of a seven-year-old boy who was kidnapped outside his home on Tuesday have reached a deal with his captors for his return, according to a television report on Wednesday.
As stated by Channel 10, Karim Jumhour is healthy and unharmed, though police still do not know where he is being kept. The TV report cited Arab sources saying the boy would be set free in the coming hours.
This development followed an earlier ransom demand made by the kidnappers.
“They asked me for NIS 4 million ($1,090,000) but I don’t want to pay,” Jumhour’s father told the Ynet news website. “I’m waiting for the boy to return home safe and sound.”
החטיפה בקלנסווה | כרים ג'ומהור הוא הילד בן ה-7 שנחטף מביתו @samiaah10 pic.twitter.com/TjZqRJvbqM
— חדשות עשר (@news10) July 11, 2018
As stated by Hadashot news, the kidnapping is believed to have been carried out by a crime family over unpaid debts. Other Hebrew media reports said it revolved around a financial fight among the boy’s relatives.
Jumhour was snatched from outside his home in Qalansawe, an Arab city in central Israel.
אוטו זר עוצר לילד בן 7 בפתח ביתו. נהג חייכן עם שאלה תמימה. הילד מנומס. רוצה לעזור. ובתוך שניות – הוא נחטף ונעלם.בטח תגידו, זה קורה במדינות אחרות, לא אצלנו. אבל זה קרה ממש כאן, לא רחוק מהבית שלכםhttps://goo.gl/jbZHhPמי ראה את כרים הקטן?
Posted by ידיעות אחרונות Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday, 11 July 2018
Dramatic video footage of the incident shows a white car pulling up outside the Jumhour home and asking two young boys a question. As they answer, a masked man jumps out of one of the rear doors and pushes Jumhour into the car. The assailant tries to grab the other child, who runs out of arms’ reach. The vehicle then flees the scene.
“My wife and the whole family are still in shock,” the boy’s father said. “We cannot comprehend what happened. It is good that they didn’t kidnap another child.”
Qalansawe’s mayor, Abdel-Basit Salameh, described the incident as “shocking.”
“It is impossible to let something like this pass quietly,” he said. “At this stage we have no details on the condition of the boy. We are waiting to hear good news. The most important thing is that the boy is returned.”
Salameh said police have been searching nonstop for the boy and his kidnappers since he was taken.
On Tuesday night, checkpoints were set up near Baqa al-Gharbiya and Umm al-Fahm in the Haifa district.
A large number of police forces and a helicopter were involved in the manhunt.