The amended indictment, filed by Adv. Adar Bachar from the Southern District Attorney’s Office, in which the defendants confessed, states that on 8.10.23, the two, along with another person, traveled to the area of the “Nova” party, where the previous day at least 347 civilians and 17 police officers were murdered. Upon arriving in the area, while the defendants waited in their vehicle, the additional person toured the party complex and collected property belonging to civilians murdered in the terrorists’ attack. Among other things, jewelry, tools, a socket set, and other property were collected.
In light of the above, the defendants were convicted of theft under aggravated circumstances.
As part of the sentencing arguments, Adv. Bachar stated: “This is a case with unique and difficult circumstances, and the defendants’ actions must be condemned. They, shortly after the terrible disaster that befell the country, joined forces with another and took property belonging to the victims of the Nova massacre. The defendants exploited the situation that prevailed in the country at that time to carry out their scheme…”.
In the verdict, the Beersheba Magistrate’s Court Judge, Amir Doron, stated: “The morning of October 7, 2023, was one of the hardest days in the country’s history. The country experienced a planned campaign of murder and destruction, which caused significant damage, both physical and property, manifested in various strata of Israeli society in general, and among the victims of the massacre and their families in particular.”
He further added: “The defendants failed in a particularly despicable and difficult moral and ethical manner. The defendants demonstrated in their actions, carried out jointly with another, a gross trampling of every basic component of human compassion. The defendants stole equipment from the massacre victims, while their blood cries out from the ground before them. The defendants stole, for the sake of money, equipment from anyone they could, with an emphasis on property of considerable economic value.”
The judge also noted: “Taking the property of murder victims near the time of their death is an act that should be seen as a ‘violation of the sanctity of life,’ constituting behavior contrary to all moral codes, both ancient and modern.
Theft from a massacre scene is not only an injustice to the victims; it is considered a ‘stain on our honor,’ eroding social trust and the sense of brotherhood.”
Regarding the fine component, Judge Doron noted: “Due to the fact that the criminal offenses were committed for financial gain, it is important to impose a financial penalty on the defendants.”
In light of the above, the court sentenced each of the defendants to 38 months of actual imprisonment, a suspended sentence, and a fine of NIS 45,000.
Related Topics
