Israeli police say they found about 70 Palestinian men hiding in a garbage truck as they attempted to cross into Israel, apparently in search of work.
The men were discovered on Monday at a West Bank checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, reports Associated Press.
Footage from the scene shows the men packed inside the truck, piled one on top of another in the vehicle's waste compartment.
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Police are seen in the video, some with their weapons drawn, surrounding the truck.
Within minutes of their discovery, officers removed them one by one as garbage fell from the vehicle.
The 30-year-old Israeli man driving the garbage truck was arrested and questioned by police.
Israel's Defence Ministry said the men were "trying to infiltrate central Israel" and that they were stopped at a West Bank checkpoint.
Authorities did not provide details on the motive for the attempted entry, but Ital Almog, a local police commander, described them as "illegal entrants," a term that usually refers to Palestinians entering Israel in search of work.
Israeli police have routinely reported illegal entrants from the Israeli-occupied West Bank after Israel revoked tens of thousands of Palestinian work permits since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack.
The large number of men and grim conditions of the garbage truck incident highlighted the level of desperation and the lengths that some are willing to go.
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