Jerusalem, 17 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel Police in the Southern District operated over the past week in Rahat and the Bedouin diaspora in the Negev where many weapons, including M-16s, pistols and IDF (Israel Defense Forces) ammunition, were seized in the south. The operation was part of the fight against violent crime and shooting incidents in Bedouin communities.
In Rahat, located near Gaza, special police fighters operated under intelligence guidance and located six IDF ammunition boxes containing approximately 6,000 5.56 mm ammunition rounds that were disposed of near a school parking lot in neighborhood 34.
The police officers of the towns station, together with the canine unit and Border Police National Guard soldiers, under the direction of intelligence, set out to locate illegal weapons being disposed of in the area. During the operation, an FN-9 pistol, two M-16 rifle cartridges, and 9mm ammunition were located near the settlement of Lakiya. All of the findings were transferred for further processing to the towns police station.
In an operation conducted by police officers from the Towns Station together with the municipal policing unit in the Tel Sheva settlement sector, a vehicle was stopped for a routine inspection. An M-16 weapon, suspected of being stolen from the IDF, and five full magazines were seized from the vehicle. After an inspection, it was determined that the vehicle was stolen. The driver of the vehicle, a resident of Tel Sheva in his 20s, was arrested and transferred along with the findings for further investigation at the Towns Station.