"There are already those who have gotten used to it": The gunfire terrorizing Negev residents has become routine

Over the weekend, the police received several reports of ongoing gunfire from the towns of Hura and Lakiya in the eastern Negev, located in close proximity to Meitar and Carmit.

Forces from the Ayarot station and Border Police officers who were called to the scene identified that these were conflicts between rival families and began conducting broad enforcement activity in both towns. During the activity, large quantities of combat equipment, weapons, and ammunition of various types were seized.

In Lakiya, two M16 rifles were seized, alongside 45 magazines filled with ammunition and packages of bullets matching the seized weapons. Two suspects, residents of the town, were arrested for questioning.

In an operation conducted in Hura, the forces located another cache of weapons, containing 19 grenades for a 40mm grenade launcher, 15 full magazines for an M16 rifle, and a large quantity of ammunition of various types. Five people were arrested in the town on suspicion of illegal possession and use of weapons.

"There was a lot of shooting on Friday and Saturday. We heard machine guns like the MAG and weapons like the Negev. We know they seized a lot of ammunition and two rifles, but it is definitely stressful. There are those who are not used to it, and when you hear it for the first time, it is stressful," said Yossi Nachman, a council member and a member of the standby squad of the town of Carmit in the eastern Negev.

According to him, residents in the area are already forced to deal with the sounds of gunfire with high frequency. "There are already those who, unfortunately, have gotten used to it. We have a good relationship with the police. When we report, they arrive quickly. It provides an answer at that moment, but it is not enough. The police cannot handle this problem alone. There needs to be significant intervention by the courts, so that the punishment for possession of illegal weapons is a long prison sentence and not a few months. All relevant government ministries must provide an answer and solve the problem together."

"Much more needs to be done to deal with the problem," said Nachman. "The Prime Minister needs to understand that this is a problem that exists throughout the country. This is crime on the Arab street. He must understand the magnitude of the event that we are all suffering from and deal with it immediately."

Police officials stated that the activity in both towns was intended to thwart shooting incidents and prevent escalation in violent conflicts, while locating criminal elements and instigators of violence for arrest. At the same time, the police are carrying out operations to locate illegal weapons and confiscate them.

The seized combat equipment and the arrested suspects were transferred to the Ayarot station for further investigation, and the detainees were brought to hearings for the extension of their detention at the Magistrate's Court in Beersheba.