When traffic lights turn red on the highways of Israel’s north, small figures can often be seen darting between the rows of idling cars.

Rain or shine, young boys—some no older than five—weave through the exhaust fumes. They clutch plastic bottles or trinkets; sometimes they simply beg for money.

The presence of hundreds of these children has become a familiar sight at junctions from the Galilee to Hadera: fleeting silhouettes in the mirrors of a country that prides itself on progress and secure borders, yet harbors a shadow economy where human traffickers send children from Judea and Samaria to risk their lives and others’ for spare change.

Last month, Israel saw the first physical protest against what has become known over the past decade as “the junction children.”

Following reports of violence by some beggars and the deaths of three in traffic accidents, Galilee residents demonstrated during rush hour at Yasif Junction, demanding official action. Another rally is planned for Nov. 6.

Their efforts are already having an impact. Police temporarily removed the beggars from Yasif Junction, and prosecutors have for the first time this year indicted both an alleged trafficker and two child beggars. Yet the problem—and its root causes—persist, raising uncomfortable questions about security, child welfare, official inaction and the hidden economies that thrive in plain sight.

“It has already cost lives. The only question is how many more,” said Moran Golan, a mother of three from Tal-El near Karmiel, who organized last month’s protest.

She referred to the deaths of three beggars this year—ages 9, 13, and 15—who were killed while working on Israel’s roads. The youngest, Ibrahim Abu Hassan, died in August at Rambam Hospital in Haifa after being struck near Hadera. Two others, Moatis Kharb’ and Mohammed Dababsa, were killed in March when a truck hit them near Shefaram.

Locals say the phenomenon is becoming more dangerous. “There are more reports of violence lately,” said Golan. “There’s the road hazard—and now concern about attacks” by the beggars. For instance, a beggar recently hurled a glass bottle at a car whose driver refused to give him change, she said.

Ronen Hoch, a medical supplies professional from Tal-El, described how a beggar recently kicked his wife’s car and made a pistol gesture at her; their toddler was in the vehicle at the time. “The situation is getting out of hand,” he told JNS. Like many residents, he fears terrorist groups could exploit teenage beggars to stage an attack.

According to police, the children enter Israel illegally—likely with help from Arab-Israeli traffickers—who assign them to various junctions near Arab towns and cities. They sleep in woods or roadside areas and are supplied with food and water by the traffickers, who also seize most of their earnings. Families in Judea and Samaria receive monthly “salaries” of only a few hundred shekels.

“The children are sold into slavery and live in ‘Lord of the Flies’-style packs,” said Abu Muhammed Yosef Shehada, a 70-year-old retired teacher from Tamra who has researched the issue, referring to the famous novel by William Golding. “The traffickers are slave traders. It’s happening before our eyes. Many Arab Israelis think they’re giving charity, but they’re actually funding enslavement and evil.”

Shehada said most donations come from Arab drivers. Yet intimidation by local criminals has silenced much of the Arabic-language media. “People are scared to speak up,” he said. Arab communities in Israel are plagued by violent crime, with the vast majority of murders being Arab-on-Arab homicides despite Arabs constituting just 20% of the population.

Following the recent deaths and protests, authorities have begun stepping up enforcement.

Last month, prosecutors indicted Morshad Hanjar, 72, from Julis near Tal-El, after documenting him dropping off five Palestinian children, ages nine to 12, at junctions. Police found 3,000 shekels ($916) in cash in his possession. It was a rare prosecution, but Hanjar was charged only with “transporting illegal aliens” rather than the more serious offense of human trafficking—apparently because he acted as a courier rather than the primary trafficker.

In parallel, prosecutors charged two 14-year-old beggars and held them in custody for the duration of their trial, Chief Inspector Ronen Babiloni of the Israel Police’s Northern District told Israel’s Channel 11 earlier this year.

The boys belonged to a family from Gaza who could not return there after the war broke out on Oct. 7, 2023. The family posted a large bail for their release—part of a new approach authorities hope will deter families from sending children to beg.

Yet legal obstacles persist. Because most of the beggars are minors, they are not criminally liable.

“We take very seriously the solicitation of minors and helpless individuals to commit felonies,” a police spokesperson told JNS. “But their young age means welfare authorities must handle these situations.”

Attempts to speak with the beggars for this article were unsuccessful: When approached by JNS, several beggars backed away and kept their distance. “They are often mature boys, who feel the burden of providing for their families,” said Shehada, who has spoken to some of the children. “But they’re also boys, some of them teenagers, and they get into mischief.”

On the ground, the results are frustrating. Babiloni said that even when police return beggars to Judea and Samaria, “they are on their way back to the junctions before the patrol car even reaches the station.”

A spokesperson for Israel’s Welfare and Social Affairs Ministry told JNS that her ministry is limited in what it can do for Palestinian children, as they are neither citizens nor residents. “The ministry simply doesn’t have the mandate or jurisdiction to intervene,” she said.

It’s a limitation that Ahlam Maroun, a social worker from Usafiya near Haifa, is very familiar with, she told JNS at the Yasif Junction rally, where she and her son were the only Arab demonstrators.

“The key is raising awareness in the Arab-Israeli sector,” she told JNS, adding that she lamented the absence of other Arabs from the rally.

“People need to understand they’re helping fuel a horrible crime—stealing these children’s childhoods and risking their lives. If we just stop the money, the entire horror show ends,” Maroun said.

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