Stolen Israeli weapons raise concerns about their reach to Hamas

Shafaq News / The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation "Kan" revealed on Wednesday details of weapons stolen from the army during the war in Gaza, including sensitive defense systems, indicating that some of them have reached militants in the West Bank.

Kan reported that the stolen weapons include several "LAW" missiles, mortar shells, and advanced defense systems for ground forces.

According to the Southern Command of the Israeli army, the stolen weapons during the Gaza war are:

- 33,740 "Mag" shells

- 14,650 "5.56" projectiles

- 315 landmine devices

- 79 mortar shells

- 3 "LAW" missiles

- 9 120mm mortar shells

- 2 advanced ground arm defense systems

Kan clarified that many of the stolen weapons were widely distributed among "armed groups and mafias," leading to a significant decrease in their prices. "For example, a hand grenade used to be sold for about 6,000 shekels before the war, is now sold for only a few hundred shekels."

Kan added that in December 2023, nearly 20,000 "M16" bullets were stolen from an Israeli army ammunition truck, four kilometers away from the "Tzalim" military base.

"Weapons, ammunition, military equipment, and police gear were also stolen from the combat zone in the south, including grenades, cartridges, bullets, and more, in addition to an advanced anti-tank missile of the Matador type equipped with a launch system."

According to Kan, about 15 stolen hand grenades from the Israeli army were used in various criminal incidents this month within a span of 10 days.

The Israeli army has for years struggled with weapons being stolen from its bases across the country, mainly in the Negev, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Many of the weapons stolen in recent years were taken by soldiers along with civilian contractors who work on the bases, the newspaper added.