In a crackdown on local crime families, Israeli Police seized rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in the Negev Bedouin communities of Rahat and Aro’er, the police announced on Thursday.
Seven suspects, including two minors, were arrested as authorities confiscated M16 assault rifles, improvised Carlo guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and drugs.
The raids come against the backdrop of surging crime in the Israeli-Arab sector. According to the Abraham Initiative, a non-profit organization that promotes Arab integration into Israeli society, 70 Israeli-Arabs have been killed in violent criminal incidents.
In 2023, a record number of 244 Israeli-Arabs were murdered, more than double the 120 homicides in 2022.
The spike in violence is attributed to organized crime groups fighting turf battles and trying to eliminate rivals. Arab criminal organizations have been involved in extortion, money laundering, and trafficking in weapons, drugs and women.
Photo: Police Spokesperson