After a relatively quiet period in terms of ammunition thefts from Israel Defense Forces bases by Bedouin tribes, on Tuesday morning, commanders at the Tzalim base discovered that about 30,000 rifle rounds had been stolen from an ammunition warehouse in one of the bunkers at the base. The theft is considered an exception even by Tzalim base standards which suffer from thieves all the time, due to the amount of ammunition that was stolen.
In light of the theft, a joint investigation has been opened by the Israel Police and the Military Investigating Police, and the big question is when exactly the break-in was carried out, and how is it possible that, despite the investment of huge resources, they managed to break into the highly-secured camp again. The investigation will focus on two levels; the first - did someone from the base help the criminal gang carry out the theft, and the second - whether the ammunition was sold to terrorist organizations.
Crime syndicates operating in the Negev & throughout Israel don't suffer from a shortage of weapons, but they do have a shortage of ammunition ā and this is where the IDF comes in. Essentially, IDF is aiding & abetting the continued bloodshed in Israel's Arab sector. 2/3 pic.twitter.com/cSaNBDdPh4
ā Regavim (@RegavimEng) June 6, 2023
In terms of definition in the security system, this is not an event of unusual scope, but the IDF admits that gangs of illegal arms thieves and illegal arms dealers in Israel have recently collaborated with terrorist organizations in Israel and smuggled weapons and ammunition for them. The great concern is that the stolen bullets are already in the hands of one of the terrorist organizations when the biggest concern from a systemic point of view is the scope of these collaborations which are growing. If indeed such a concern arises in the investigation of the current theft, the Shin Bet will be forced to get involved.
During the term of the previous IDF Chief of Staff, Aviv Kochavi, a significant plan was promoted to deal with the phenomenon, and it was decided a number of key steps to be taken to improve and strengthen the defense of the bases under attack. Amongst those steps, was a decision to implement a "camp protection system" that would operate under the Military Police Corps, which has the power to arrest a suspect and go through normal investigative procedures like any other policing authority.
IDF probing massive theft of ammunition
ā Jerusalem World News (@JerusalemWN) June 6, 2023
More than 20,000 rifle rounds were taken from the southern base.https://t.co/BVhpNsq9XF pic.twitter.com/7nXcpUjv8l
An IDF spokesperson said in response to the recent theft: "A report was received this morning about the theft of ammunition from a military bunker at an IDF base in the south of the country. A joint investigation by the Israel Police and the Military Police has been launched."
The Regavim movement which promotes Israeli sovereignty stated: "Bedouins strike a second time: the IDF and the State Security are being made fun of. The criminal organizations do not have a shortage of weapons, but they have a shortage of ammunition, and this is where the IDF comes in and is the main supplier of ammunition, thus actually allowing blood to continue flowing in the streets of Arab society. As long as they continue to be soft on crime, without indictments and without significant punishments, the serious phenomenon will not be stopped."
