The Southern District Prosecutor's Office submitted a severe indictment on Tuesday against Abdallah Gergawi, a 20-year-old resident of the Bedouin town of Segev Shalom in the Negev, on charges of planning a terror attack at the Forum nightclub in Be'er Sheva, as well as having contact with terrorist elements to join the Islamic State terrorist organization in Syria.
According to the indictment document, in 2022, Gergawi began consuming Islamic State-affiliated content online. With time, his support and deep ideological alignment with the group grew. In this context, he contacted supporters of the organization, had conversations with them, and was exposed to content they produced.
In the months leading up to his arrest, the suspect joined a small group on the Signal messaging app in which members discussed Jihad and events in Israel. When he learned of the intention to close the group, Gergawi urged the members to take action. The members told him that he must have patience and that they would contact him when needed. Immediately after the group was closed, he deleted the application from his phone to cover his tracks.
Later on, he made contact with an Islamic State supporter in Syria, who he asked for instructions on reaching the country and joining the fighting. The suspect received detailed explanations on routes through Jordan and Turkey. Additionally, he was in contact with another operative who suggested he go to Yemen or Afghanistan to join the operations there. Gergawi had already planned his trip from Israel to Syria, but after a police search in his home, he feared immediate arrest and put a hold on the plans.
The indictment noted that “alongside these channels, he resolved to carry out a terrorist attack in Be’er Sheva. Around February 2026, he began formulating a plan to drive a vehicle rigged with explosive devices into the vicinity of the Forum nightclub and detonate them remotely while hundreds of people were at the venue. To advance the plot, he located and downloaded instructions for assembling explosives from YouTube videos. After his attempt to purchase sulfur failed because he feared arousing suspicion, he tried to scrape and extract sulfur from match heads and prepare a flammable mixture himself. He also conducted an unsuccessful ignition test near his home."
The indictment also charges him with illegally possessing a large quantity of weapons and ammunition. He allegedly kept an M-16-style assault rifle, magazines, and ammunition for a relative for several months. He also allegedly traveled with the relative to an open area near Ramat Hovav, where they fired the weapon. In addition, during 2025, he allegedly stored a wide range of heavy weapons, including MAG machine guns, Negev light machine guns, and Kalashnikov rifles for another individual, at various times.
The case, jointly investigated by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the Southern District Police’s Central Unit, includes charges of contact with a foreign agent, providing services or making resources available to a terrorist organization, preparing to commit an act of terrorism, training or instruction for terrorist purposes, and weapons offenses involving possession, carrying, and transportation.