The Israel Police revealed Tuesday that a 10-year-old boy and a 15-year-old teen sold firearms to an undercover agent during a yearlong operation targeting illegal arms dealers in East Jerusalem, southern Israel, and the West Bank.
The agent, code-named “Matrix,” helped gather evidence against dozens of suspects involved in weapons trafficking, including the sale of firearms, explosives, and ammunition. Overnight, Jerusalem District police officers, Border Police units and IDF troops arrested 32 suspects who had been implicated by the agent.
For nearly a year, the Jerusalem District’s central investigative unit operated the agent, who infiltrated the dangerous world of illegal arms trafficking. The 32 individuals arrested had contacted him and sold him a total of 28 firearms—including pistols and rifles—as well as dozens of explosive devices and large quantities of ammunition, valued at approximately 1.3 million shekels. Each firearm was sold for between 30,000 shekels and 50,000 shekels.
The agent also purchased powerful improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that had been produced in a bomb-making lab. Dozens more IEDs were seized by Jerusalem police. Authorities are now investigating whether some of the weapons were intended for terrorist attacks.
In a disturbing twist, during the operation, the undercover agent encountered a 10-year-old boy and a 15-year-old teen, both of whom offered to sell him firearms after being pressured by family members to get involved. One of the minors even proudly declared that he owned “a personal pistol.” In one of their meetings, the agent asked the 10-year-old what he wanted to be when he grew up. The boy’s reply: “An arms dealer.”
Police officials described this moment as a red line. “The fact that a 10-year-old is selling firearms is a warning sign for the entire society,” said one source involved in the investigation.
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The operation moved to its overt phase overnight with a wide wave of arrests. Some of the suspects are West Bank residents. All were brought in for questioning at the Jerusalem District central unit and were expected to appear in court later Tuesday for remand hearings.
Some of the weapons sold to the agent were stolen from the Israeli military, while others were smuggled in from abroad. All of them were in working condition. During searches of suspects’ homes, police also seized additional weapons, drugs and vehicles.
“In the framework of the ongoing police campaign against illegal weapons offenses in the Arab sector, the Jerusalem District’s central unit conducted extensive operations over the past year targeting arms trafficking in East Jerusalem, the south of the country, and the West Bank,” the police said in a statement. “As part of this effort, an undercover agent was deployed to take down criminal elements and reduce their activity, which severely threatens public safety, particularly in Arab communities.”
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said the success of the operation was the result of months of covert and complex work. “Today marks the successful conclusion of a long-term undercover mission that led to the exposure of dozens of suspects,” he said. “This operation is part of our ongoing focus on combating deep-rooted criminal phenomena that harm the personal security and quality of life for citizens across the country.
“Undercover operations are among the most complex and impactful police tools. They require persistence, determination, and the highest level of professionalism. The human capital within our central investigative units and throughout the district is what makes achievements like this possible—it’s the secret to our organizational excellence,” he added.