Roi Yifrach, who is accused of impersonating an IDF soldier, a police officer and a Shin Bet officer, as well as stealing weapons, ammunition and military equipment from the conflict zone in Gaza, posed for pictures with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant when they came to visit the soldiers, and took selfies with them. Yifrach has a criminal record, including five previous convictions for weapons, drugs and sex offenses.
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According to additional information obtained by Ynet, Yifrach entered military bases without supervision, and was also one of the noncommissioned officers at a strategic base when Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi visited. "I came to help the war effort," he claimed in his interrogation, and in response to the question of whether he planned to go to places where senior officials were, he answered that this is not the case. "I only wanted to help," he added.
Yifrach, 35, a resident of Tel Aviv, was indicted on Sunday morning by the attorney's office in the Tel Aviv District Court, charged with impersonating a soldier and a policeman. Inaddition, Yifrach is accused of stealing weapons, ammunition, and military and police equipment from the fighting zone in Gaza.
Arriving in the combat zone in the south on October 7, Yifrach allegedly assumed multiple false identities, including that of an EOD specialist, an operative in the national counter-terrorism unit, and a member of the Shin Bet, according to the indictment filed by the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office.
On the basis of his impersonation and his stay in the battle zone, Yifrach was given access to weapons, ammunition and military and police equipment. The prosecutor's office is seeking an extension of his detention until the conclusion of the legal proceedings against him.
During the war and leading up to his arrest on December 17, Yifrach carried out widespread theft of weapons, including grenades, cartridges and bullets, as well as a significant quantity of military and police equipment including uniforms, a walkie-talkie and a drone. Using his vehicle, he transported some of the stolen weapons and ammunition to different places. Upon his arrest, weapons, ammunition and equipment were discovered in his car, apartment and his mother's residence.
Yifrach, who carried out his impersonation by wearing a tactical uniform, was apprehended by police officers. Authorities seized from him an M4 assault rifle, three charges with Arabic inscriptions, 14 stun grenades, two smoke grenades, a box of 5.56 mm ammunition, a box of 9 mm pistol ammunition, an IDF tablet, a drone, IDF vests, fighter belts, ceramic vests and helmets.
Yifrach was indicted on charges including theft of weapons and ammunition, aggravated fraud, and theft under special circumstances. The indictment highlights the aggravating circumstances, stating that "during the state of emergency in Israel, the accused falsely presented himself as a soldier and held positions within security bodies and special units, with the intention of stealing a substantial quantity of weapons, ammunition and equipment, thereby depleting the inventory of both the IDF and the police."
Yifrach's attorney Eitan Sabag, responded to the indictment. "My client, a paramedic, arrived in the Kfar Aza area on October 7. He bravely saved lives amid gunfire, putting his own life at risk and neutralizing terrorists with his licensed personal weapon. Subsequently, he joined a specialized military unit within Gaza, engaging in direct combat with Hamas terrorists, with the explicit approval of the IDF and utilizing combat equipment provided by them."
"It is preposterous that the State of Israel, which failed to safeguard its citizens on October 7, is now holding accountable my client, who selflessly volunteered to do so in service of Israel. I intend to present all the allegations and evidence in court, demonstrating that the accused's actions were performed within the circumstances shaped by the State of Israel, and not by my client," he added.