Court Increases Sentence for Car Thief Who Exploited Post-Oct 7 Chaos

The Beersheba District Court has increased the prison sentence for Guy Haddad, 44, who stole vehicles from Kibbutz Be'eri following the October 7th Hamas attacks, sentencing him to seven and a half years in prison. Haddad stole cars, including those belonging to massacre survivors and hostage returnee Eli Sharabi, with the intention of selling them in the Palestinian Authority. Sharabi discovered his car was stolen only after his return from captivity.

The Southern District Prosecutor's Office had appealed the initial five-and-a-half-year sentence handed down by the Magistrate's Court, arguing it did not reflect public condemnation of his actions. Haddad, who owned a towing company from Rishon LeZion, had volunteered with a towing driver named Israel Amram at a center established to assist soldiers and civilians after the massacre. Haddad instructed Amram to find vehicles to steal, load them onto the tow truck, and transport them to his company's lot for sale in the Palestinian territories.

The Magistrate's Court had previously noted that while the nation was united in solidarity, Haddad cynically identified the national chaos as a business opportunity, stealing from those who had lost everything and could not protect their property. The court found he had devised a calculated plan, turning the logistical support center into a base for theft operations, severely damaging the spirit of volunteering and mutual responsibility during a national emergency.

Despite these findings, the initial sentence was deemed too lenient. Prosecutors argued Haddad should receive up to 12 years, labeling him an "internal enemy" who gained trust at the volunteer center and exploited his partner and other volunteers. The district court judges, increasing the sentence by two years, stated that Haddad conceived an "unthinkable plan" to enrich himself at the expense of the victims, showing no regard for their identities during a period of national shock, grief, and trauma.