A robbery attempt at a jewelry store in the southern town of Ofakim was thwarted Tuesday night, thanks to the quick thinking of a shopkeeper who deployed special gas and smoke deterrent systems. The masked assailants fled the scene without managing to steal any items.
Security footage shows several masked suspects breaking through the store's front glass while a getaway driver waited outside. Once inside, one of the robbers struck a jewelry display case with a metal rod. However, the sudden activation of smoke and gas mechanisms inside the store disrupted the robbery. One store employee was seen hurling a chair at the fleeing assailants as they escaped.
Jewelry store robbery foiled in Ofakim by quick-thinking shopkeeper
(Video: from social media)
The suspects sped off in the getaway vehicle and, as of late Tuesday, remain at large. Police have not announced any arrests.
The incident sparked an outcry on social media after the footage was widely shared. Deputy Minister Almog Cohen, a resident of Ofakim and formerly of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, which ran on a law and order platform, responded angrily: “Ofakim, 8 p.m., the shopping area is full of children. Zero governance, zero fear [of the law]. There is no police in Israel! This cannot continue.”
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Jewelry store robbery foiled in Ofakim by quick-thinking shopkeeper
(Photo: from social media)
Cohen, who now aligns with the ruling Likud party according to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, was echoed by former prime minister Naftali Bennett. “True,” Bennett wrote on social media. “Crime is rampant at historic levels — record murders, protection rackets everywhere, chaos. Israel is not being governed. We will fix this soon.”
Cohen shot back: “Naftali, you can’t fix anything, because those with the masks are the voters of Abbas or Tibi — your former partners.” The reference was to Arab lawmakers Mansour Abbas and Ahmad Tibi, highlighting ongoing political tensions over coalition alliances and public security.