Niv Asraf, the Israeli man reported missing earlier this afternoon by his Bedouin friend, is not missing.
Asraf reportedly disappeared near the Arab village of Beit Anoun and the Jewish town of Kiryat Arba. His friend said he went into Beit Anoun to get tools to fix a flat tire. He didn’t take his phone with him.
A massive manhunt has been underway since the afternoon to search for Asraf, who was thought to have possibly been kidnapped.
After security forces noticed discrepancies in the friend’s story — including the lack of a flat tire — they began considering other options.
Late Thursday evening, during interrogation by security forces, the friend admitted that Asraf was fine and told the security forces where he could be found, hiding in Kiryat Arba.
Security forces found Asraf hiding in a wadi (ravine) in Kiryat Arba, equipped with canned food and a sleeping bag.
There is a suspicion the two planned this escapade in response to Asraf’s recent breakup with his girlfriend.
In June 2014, Gilad Shaer, 16, Eyal Yifrah, 19, and Naftali Frankel, 16, were kidnapped in Gush Etzion and murdered by Hamas terrorists from the Hebron area. Security forces and volunteers searched for two weeks until they found their bodies, in an area where it was feared Asraf could have been abducted.