Police said it is possible the ring has also smuggled terrorists into Israel using the same method.

One individual has thus far been arrested in connection to the case and police said additional arrests are expected.

Ma'aleh Adumim police recently arrested a resident of Azzariyeh, who holds a blue Israeli identity card, suspected of posing as an ambulance driver and infiltrating into Israel dozens of Palestinians disguised as sick patients.

The "patients" were hooked up to medical devices inside the ambulances and presented soldiers or police officers with forged documents at Israeli checkpoints.

Police believe that in one case, the Force 17 commander was smuggled from Azzariyeh into Israeli territory for a work meeting in East Jerusalem.

The arrested man was employed by an ambulance company controlled by Force 17 that operates three ambulances.

A police probe revealed the detainee does not hold an ambulance driver's license and that the license plates of his vehicle were forged. The vehicle itself was likely stolen.

Police recently raided an Azzariyeh warehouse in which commercial vehicles were transformed into ambulances.