A 3‑year‑old Haredi boy was found alone early Monday morning at about 2:15 a.m. in a parking lot at the Qalandia bus terminal, just south of Ramallah, Israeli police said.
The young child, identified by his traditional clothing — including a skullcap and sidelocks — speaks only Yiddish. Initial efforts by officers to gather information from him were unsuccessful because of the language barrier, police said.
A vigilant bus terminal employee discovered the boy and alerted authorities. Because of the cold early‑morning temperatures and the need to carry out procedures that would have taken time at the scene, police transferred the boy to the Shefat police station in the Kadam region and welfare officials were notified.
Hours later, police located the boy’s parents, residents of the ultra‑Orthodox city of Modi’in Illit. They are expected to be brought in for questioning.
The child’s family told authorities that earlier in the night they had been saying farewell to a relative, and the boy inadvertently remained on the bus. Members of the family blamed the driver, saying he failed to report finding the child on the vehicle, allow him off safely or ensure he was reunited with family — and that he wandered alone until reaching the Qalandia terminal on his own.
A police investigator told ynet that the case remains “a very big mystery.” He said the language barrier made it difficult to communicate with the boy initially. “We brought in civilians who speak the language to question him, and we still didn’t succeed. When the parents arrive, there will be more clarity on the story,” Amsalem said.
Police said welfare officials will continue to assess the boy’s immediate needs, and that investigators are working to establish the full circumstances that led to the child being left alone.