Four hundred different weapons have been seized by the Northern District Israel Police since the beginning of the year, the Police spokesperson said on Sunday.
Two hundred and seventy nine of the seized weapons were firearms, 162 of them pistols, and 117 rifles. The police also confiscated 90 grenades and 28 other explosive devices. On June 5, the northern district police said that they had seized 340 weapons since the start of the year. Sixty illegal weapons had been taken from criminals over the past month.
Over the weekend, police said that they had seized six weapons from Nahf and Kfar Kanna. This included two Carlo-style machine pistols, two pistols, two M-16 rifles, and ammunition of various calibers.
The police said that they had increased their presence in the area due to violence leading up to the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. By Sunday, 111 Israeli Arabs had been killed in a wave of crime and violence, according to the Abraham Initiatives. The vast majority were shot to death with illegal weapons. 58% of the victims were 30 years old or younger.
Israel Police: Fight against Arab sector crime is 'top priority'
The Israel Police said on Sunday that the fight against crime was its top priority,
“Many forces are deployed in the field openly and covertly for the purpose of preventing and detecting crime,” read the police statement. “We view incidents of violence seriously, and will continue to invest resources, forces and tools to fight against crime for the good of the personal safety of citizens.”
Police also said on Sunday that they engaged in intense operations over the weekend against illegal weapons used by the Bedouin community in the Negev.
“Negev region Israel Police carried out proactive operations against perpetrators of crime and criminal targets,” said the police, saying that there was a focus “on locating those possessing and using weapon in combat in violation of the law, the operation objectives were to prevent shooting and violent incidents, which are happening in the context of criminal violence by actors in the Arab community.”
Police searched compounds near the homes of families involved in shooting incidents. An M-16 rifle and an FN pistol were seized, and three suspects were arrested.
The government and police have been under intense scrutiny for their inability to address the rise in crime and violence in the Arab sector in 2023. The Abraham Initiatives pointed to the attitude of National Security Minster Itamar Ben-Gvir as a key problem.
The NGO said that he did not demonstrate a willingness to ensure the safety of Arab citizens. According to the NGO's statistics, more people had been killed in such violence in the first half of 2023 as those killed in the entire year of 2022. Just as many people had been killed in such violence in the first half of 2023 as those killed in the entire year of 2022.
"2023 is a record year of crime and violence in Arab society. All these victims are the result of crime and violence that thrive in a place where the state is not present," the Abraham Initiatives said on Sunday.