At an emergency meeting at the Police National Headquarters Bunker on October 7th, 2023, approximately three hours after Hamas began to massacre Israelis in southern Israel, a representative of the Shin Bet warned of "Jewish terrorism."
In a recording from the meeting that was published on Wednesday by i24NEWS, police officials can be heard reporting the extent of the attack to then National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and then-Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai. "Sderot and Ofakim have been captured," one officer can be heard reporting. A second officer reports that Hamas has taken hostages to Gaza, while another updates that there are hundreds of wounded.
At this point, the Shin Bet representative interjects, "There is an update now about calls for armed gatherings and revenge by Jews across the country and Judea and Samaria."
The representative added: "Groups of Jews are calling to group together, take up arms, and take revenge."
The remarks were made as thousands of terrorists murdered, abducted, and wounded civilians and soldiers across southern Israel, while the security establishment was working to understand the scope of the attack and respond to it in real-time.
A few months ago, it was reported that the head of the Shin Bet's Jewish Department expressed concern for the fact that Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, many of whom live adjacent to Arab villages, were purchasing bullets for their licensed guns.
Speaking to the Judea and Samaria District Commander Avishai Moalem, the Shin Bet official said he was worried about "Jews arming themselves." Moalem did not understand the issue and wondered, "What's the problem with that? We went through a massacre; naturally, they'll arm themselves legally."
The department head claimed in response: "There are weapons in Yitzhar." When asked what he meant, he admitted that he was talking about regular pistol ammunition.