"Seeking wealth and danger"?According to the Times of Israel on December 31, 2023, during the current round of the Gaza conflict, an Israeli man disguised himself as a soldier and took advantage of the chaos to sneak into the war zone to steal*** During this period, the man also took the opportunity to take a photo with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Gallant and others.
According to the report, the 35-year-old man living in Tel Aviv, named Ifra, was captured in mid-December 2023 and formally charged on December 31. Court documents show that Ifra, who has never served in the military, infiltrated the war zone for weeks after the conflict began, posing as a police officer, soldier and intelligence agency**. According to Israel's Keshet 12 TV channel, Ifra also appeared fully armed at the *** landing site with other soldiers to pose for a photo with Netanyahu. According to Reuters, a ** confirmed that Ifra was indeed among the soldiers who posed for the photo, but insisted that Netanyahu's safety was not threatened.
Ifra (uncensored man in combat uniform) with Netanyahu.
After receiving the tip, Israel arrested Ifra and found a large number of stolen items in his home, car and his mother's house, including a military assault rifle, a police gun, helmets, smoke grenades, stun grenades, bullets and even military drones. Efra has been charged with theft**, fraud and other counts and faces up to 36 years in prison. Four other suspected accomplices, including a police officer, have been taken away for investigation and are currently under house arrest pending trial.
However, the story told by Ifra's lawyer is very different from the allegations. The lawyer said that after the clashes, Ifra used his legally owned firearms to fight Hamas, and then entered the Gaza Strip as a volunteer, with the consent of the Israeli army, and the equipment was also provided by the Israeli army. The lawyer said that it is "absurd" for Israel** to "frame" citizens who volunteer to fight because it is powerless to protect its citizens.
The black market for guns is a serious problem that has long plagued the Israeli military. According to data released by the Knesset in 2020, there are about 400,000 illegal guns in the country, the vast majority of which are from the military and police agencies. On the same day that Ifra was indicted, Israel also arrested another man on suspicion of fraud. The man claimed to be peddling military equipment, including helmets and body armor, but only received money and did not deliver it. According to the report, about 500 Israeli soldiers and their families were deceived, and some of the deceived soldiers are still fighting on the front line.
*: Global Times.
Process edit: u029