An Israeli, who had never served in the army before, was charged with impersonating a soldier and stealing weapons after infiltrating a military unit and joining the war against Hamas in Gaza.
The indictment, filed on Sunday, said that Roy Yifrach, 35, took advantage of the chaotic situation following the Hamas attack on October 7 to join combat operations and stole large quantities of military equipment, including weapons, ammunition and sensitive communications equipment.
Israeli media said that Yifrach participated in the fighting inside Gaza, and even appeared in a photo next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during one of his field visits, according to the Associated Press.
The indictment stated that Yifrach went to southern Israel on October 7, and said that he was a combat soldier in an elite unit specializing in counter-terrorism, an explosives expert, and a member of the Shin Bet internal security service.
The police arrested Ifrakh on December 17, and found in his possession large quantities of weapons, grenades, ammunition stores, wireless communication devices, a drone, official military uniforms, and other military equipment.
Eitan Sabbagh, Yifrach’s lawyer, told Israel’s Channel 12 that his client went to the south to help as a medic in a relief organization, and fought bravely to defend Israel for more than two months.
He added, “Yifrakh was helping to rescue the residents there. They were all under fire, while he was also fighting terrorists.”
The police also arrested 4 other people, including a police officer, in connection with the theft of weapons.
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2024-01-02 07:40:47
