The State Prosocutor's Office submitted an indictment to the District Court in Tel Aviv against a city resident, Roi Yifrah, who impersonated a combat soldier and a policeman and stole ammunition and military and police equipment from the combat zone in the south. At the same time, the prosecutor's office submitted a request to extend his arrest until the end of the legal proceedings.
Yifrah allegedly impersonated a reservist by wearing a tactical uniform, taking advantage of the fighting in the south, and joining the security forces in battle. He was even photographed standing next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu inside the Gaza Strip.
According to the indictment, filed through the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office, the accused came to the combat zone in the south on October 7 and falsely presented himself in various situations, including a military sapper, a combat soldier in the National Counterterrorism Unit and a member of the Shin Bet.
Using his false identity and the fact that he was in the battle zone, he was given access to ammunition and military and police equipment. From the outbreak of the war until his arrest on December 17, he stole large quantities of weapons and ammunition, including grenades, cartridges, bullets, and more.
In addition, he stole a large quantity of military and police equipment, such as uniforms, a walkie-talkie, a drone, and more.
He transported some of the weapons and ammunition to different places using his vehicle, and at the time he was arrested, he had weapons, ammunition, and equipment in his possession: in the vehicle, in his apartment, and in his mother's apartment.
The indictment charges him with the crimes of stealing weapons, transporting weapons and ammunition, having weapons and ammunition in his possession, receiving items by fraud under serious circumstances, and theft under false pretenses.
The ammunition found in his possession included: an M4 assault rifle, 14 stun grenades, two smoke grenades, three charges (large explosives) with Arabic writing on them, a crate of M203 grenades, 5.56mm ammunition, and 9mm pistol ammunition, an IDF tablet, two airsoft guns, a drone, and a lot of equipment such as: IDF vests, fighter belts, ceramic armor vests and helmets.
The indictment states that the aggravating circumstances are reflected in the fact that "despite the state of emergency which Israel is enduring, the accused presented himself as a combat soldier, who holds positions in security entities and special units, in order to steal large amounts of weapons, ammunition, and equipment, all while reducing the amounts of the above available to the IDF and police.”
As part of this case, four other suspects were interrogated, including a police officer, for offenses entailing weapons. At the end of the investigation conducted by the police investigation department, the four were released to house arrest, and at the same time, the policeman was withdrawn from police activity. A decision on this matter will be reached at a later date.
Following a development in the investigation, a joint investigation team of the Department of Internal Police Investigations and the Israel Police was established, and the accused was arrested.