A Nazareth man was indicted Thursday for allegedly planning to attack National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir with an attack drone or a remotely controlled guided missile.
According to the indictment, Mohammed Awad began focusing on Ben-Gvir after his friend, 25-year-old Tawfik Abu Lashin, was shot dead in Nazareth last year.
Awad allegedly viewed Ben-Gvir as responsible for the escalation in violence and crime in Arab society and believed the minister was harming Muslims throughout Israel. Prosecutors said he decided to attack Ben-Gvir in an effort to force him from office.
The case was investigated by the Shin Bet and the Northern District Police Major Crimes Unit.
According to the indictment, Awad contacted Hamas in March 2026 in an attempt to obtain resources that would help him advance the attack plan, but received no response.
“Over the past two years, and in order to advance his activity on behalf of Hamas, the defendant began studying missiles, how they operate and their detonation mechanisms through various online sources,” the indictment said.
“The defendant watched videos dealing with the structure of ballistic missiles, the materials they contain and how they operate, as well as videos explaining how to construct an object with a detonation mechanism similar to that of a missile.”
Prosecutors said Awad also searched online for information about how a ballistic missile’s detonation mechanism works, how such missiles fly and explode, and which materials cause an explosion when a missile strikes the ground.
He allegedly conducted some of the searches while concealing his browsing history in an effort to hide his actions.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir
(Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen)
According to the indictment, Awad knew that Ben-Gvir lived in the Hebron area in the West Bank and considered two possible methods of attack.
“The defendant planned to harm him by constructing an attack drone that would follow him and detonate nearby, or by constructing a guided missile with a remote-control mechanism,” prosecutors said.
Awad allegedly designed models of both a drone and a missile and searched online for materials from which to construct them.
At some point, he concluded that he lacked the necessary means and stopped trying to build the models. Prosecutors said, however, that he continued searching for information and watching videos on the subject.
Attorney Nizar Aboud, who represents Awad through the Public Defender’s Office, said his client has complex medical problems and should receive rehabilitative treatment rather than imprisonment.
“This is a defendant with complex medical issues,” Aboud said. “His rehabilitative and therapeutic treatment should be prioritized over punishment. This is not a case for imprisonment, but for a treatment framework.”