Shin Bet chief David Zini warned Monday during a Cabinet meeting, which focused on terrorist threats from Gaza and the West Bank, of a serious security situation in the Negev. “There are areas in the Bedouin communities with military infrastructure and attempts to establish military-style battalions — a very troubling phenomenon,” according to Zini. He added that these are networks “we are thwarting all the time.”
According to Zini, these military-style battalions — established by Bedouin residents of the Negev, a short drive from Beersheba, Dimona and other communities in the area — have “troubling ties” to terrorist organizations such as Hamas, in part because many of those involved marry women from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
One example is an extraordinary case currently being heard in Beersheba Magistrate’s Court against Sabah Haniyeh, the sister of slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. According to the indictment, she sent messages praising him following the October 7 massacre.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir promised during the 2022 election campaign to “restore governance” in southern Israel. After the 25th Knesset was sworn in, he pledged to “do everything” to make that happen. Since then, however, crime and homicide have repeatedly reached new highs, while criminals have developed new methods of smuggling weapons into Israel, including using drones along the Egyptian and Jordanian borders.
Attorney Assaf Bar Yosef of the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office, who specializes in weapons offenses, told ynet in June that “we are seeing more weapons seizures because there are more illegal firearms in circulation. Weapons smuggling is one of the most troubling problems facing Israel today.”
“They are coming into the country in enormous quantities, both on foot and by drone,” he said. “The police are making efforts, but ultimately there are more weapons on the market, and that is reflected in the prices. In 2020, a Glock cost 50,000 shekels ($15,300). Today, it costs 25,000 shekels ($7,650). An M16 that once cost 100,000 shekels ($30,600 ) can now be bought for 60,000 shekels ($18,350). Drones are being used to smuggle in extremely powerful weapons, including MAG machine guns. Beyond the threat these weapons pose to national security, we know that smuggled handguns have already been used in terrorist attacks.”
Armed men on donkeys mock Ben-Gvir, January 2026
Bar Yosef cited several attacks involving smuggled weapons. “That is why the Shin Bet eventually became involved," he explained. "It began investigating these cases, though only under certain circumstances. I won’t speak on behalf of the agency, but the problem is serious enough to warrant its involvement. When borders are being breached and large quantities of weapons are being smuggled into the country, it becomes a national security issue. We do not charge the defendants with security offenses, but the vast majority of weapons-smuggling cases are classified as security cases by the Israel Prison Service.”
Zini has now said explicitly that the weapons also are being used for terrorism by organized, military-style groups. His warning comes as the violence during Operation Guardian of the Walls remains fresh in Israel’s collective memory, including the lynching of motorists in southern Israel.
On Sunday, Yoav Segalovich, the No. 2 official in Ra’am, an Arab party affiliated with the southern branch of Israel’s Islamic Movement, visited the Bedouin city of Rahat. Segalovich has repeatedly criticized Ben-Gvir for failing to curb crime and restore law and order. While speaking at a gathering in a private home, he was briefly interrupted by a burst of gunfire.
“This cannot happen in a properly functioning country. It simply cannot happen, period,” he said. “What is unimaginable is that it has almost become routine in this city. On Saturday alone, bursts of gunfire were heard for eight hours straight. We cannot allow this to become the norm. This is a serious failure by the government, which has abandoned its responsibility to protect its citizens.”