An Israeli soldier was accused of stealing weapons from a military base and trafficking in ammunition

Tel Aviv - Ofoq News - The Israeli Military Prosecution filed a serious indictment against Sergeant Rafael Shemesh, who served in the guard system at the base of the Israeli naval unit “Shayetet 13” in Atlit, on charges related to removing weapons from the possession of the army, trafficking in them, illegal use of weapons, and the use of dangerous drugs.

The Israeli Walla newspaper reported that the military prosecution submitted, yesterday, Thursday, a request to detain the soldier until the end of the judicial procedures against him, while the military court decided, with the approval of both parties, to extend his detention until October 21, 2026.

According to the indictment, on the night of September 8 to 9, 2026, Shemesh arrived at the base in his Ford Focus car, entered the soldiers’ accommodation room while they were sleeping, and seized three M4 weapons, an advanced version of the M16 rifle, along with appropriate magazines and ammunition.

A short time later, he left the base and headed to a small store on Haatzmaut Street in Netanya, where he met a number of civilians who noticed the presence of weapons. One of them stole one of the weapons that was inside the soldier's car and hid it in a garbage container, but the weapon was recovered after a short chase.

The indictment added that one of the civilians later mediated in arranging the arms sale deal, as the soldier met another civilian on the Netanya Corniche, who arrived at the location in his Mercedes car.

According to the charges, Shemesh sold the three weapons and ammunition to the civilian, after wrapping them in a blanket and placing them inside his personal military bag.

In a separate case related to the deal, the Public Prosecution in the Central District filed an indictment against citizen Sorafil Getahun, 27 years old from Netanya, on charges of brokering the deal, before the Central Court in Lod. Getahun remains detained until a further decision is issued.

The newspaper indicated that investigators from the Central Unit in the Sahel region arrested the soldier hours after the incident, before he received the money agreed upon for the sale of weapons. After being interrogated, he was transferred to the Northern Central Unit of the Israeli Military Police, as part of a joint investigation team.

The day after his arrest, investigators were able to find the weapons in an open area inside the city, and they were hidden inside the military bag.

The Israeli army spokesman said that the Israeli army and police deal seriously with incidents of arms trafficking and related crimes, noting that these actions contradict the standards expected of army personnel, and may endanger the security of the public.