Criminal8/16/2026

Operation “Iron Net”: 36 People Arrested in Rahat

Rahat police, the National Guard and the Border Police carried out a series of raids, during which weapons, ammunition and approximately 736 grams of a substance suspected to be heroin were seized. A total of 29 people who were staying in Israel illegally were arrested, along with seven suspects in several separate incidents.

Key facts

•Operation: “Iron Net”
•29 people arrested for illegal stay
•Seven other suspects arrested in separate incidents
•Glock pistols, an M16 rifle and M16 rifle parts were seized
•Approximately 736 grams of a substance suspected to be heroin were found
•No case number, decision date or applicable statutory provisions were mentioned

Those Arrested

On Saturday, 29 people who were staying in Israel illegally were found inside an abandoned building in Rahat and arrested. Seven other suspects were arrested during several operations conducted in the preceding week. All the operations were carried out as part of the police operation “Iron Net,” which Police Commissioner Danny Levy announced approximately three months before the incidents described.

Weapons Near the Construction Site

During the night between Wednesday and Thursday, police conducted a search in an area near a construction site and arrested a 35-year-old Rahat resident. A concealed Glock pistol, two loaded magazines, an M16 rifle, a box of 5.56 mm ammunition and two M16 magazines were found at the scene.

Search of the House and Yard

On Friday afternoon, with the assistance of a police dog, another Glock pistol and an explosive device were found beneath a wooden board in the yard. In a locked cabinet inside the bedroom, boxes containing 25 packages of 5.56 mm ammunition, seven M16 magazines and an M16 rifle part were found. Three Rahat residents, aged 17, 19 and 56, were arrested and taken for questioning.

Substance Suspected to Be Heroin Found in a Car

During the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, while inspecting a vehicle on Route 40, approximately 736 grams of a substance suspected to be heroin were found beneath the front passenger seat. Police arrested the driver, a 40-year-old woman from Shaqib al-Salam, and a 41-year-old passenger from Rahat, took them for questioning and seized the vehicle. The source does not report that indictments were filed, that judicial decisions were issued or what the final outcomes of the investigations were.

What this means for you

The report concerns a police investigation, not a criminal conviction: arrest and the discovery of prohibited items do not in themselves establish the guilt of any particular person. For residents, this means intensified inspections and searches as part of Operation “Iron Net,” but the source does not clarify what ultimately happened to the detainees and the seized property.

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