The indictment filed today (Thursday) against members of a smuggling ring from the Negev does not address only isolated incidents; it exposes a broad and troubling picture of the trafficking of weapons into Israel via the southern borders.
According to the charges, since 2020 there has been a sharp rise in the number of weapons seized during smuggling attempts-from just a handful of weapons that year to 200 weapons per year only three years later.
In 2024, an additional alarming development was recorded: the widespread use of drones to smuggle weapons and drugs. In that year alone, 316 handguns and parts of long firearms smuggled into Israel were seized, and in 2025 an additional 90 handguns were already seized along the Jordanian border-all via drones.
The indictment states that “the IDF thwarted dozens of drones carrying rifles, machine guns, handguns, and ammunition,” but at the same time, hundreds of drone incursions from Egypt and Jordan were identified that were not intercepted.
The prosecution warns that “the flooding of the State of Israel with illegal weapons poses a real risk both in criminal terms and in security terms.”
According to the indictment, “this influx led to a significant drop in weapons prices, making it easier for criminal and nationalist elements to acquire weapons and carry out attacks.”
The document further reveals that in October 2024, two deadly shooting attacks in Israel were carried out using handguns that had been smuggled into the country.