Court Increases Sentence for Man Who Stole Cars from Kibbutz Be'eri After Massacre

The Beersheba District Court has increased the prison sentence for Guy Haddad, who was convicted of stealing five vehicles from Kibbutz Be'eri shortly after the October 7th Hamas attack. Haddad had exploited his volunteer status and access to closed areas to commit the thefts. His sentence was extended from 5.5 years to 7.5 years in prison.

Haddad, the owner of a towing company, was initially found guilty by the Beersheba Magistrate's Court of conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of vehicle theft. The indictment stated that in October 2023, days after the massacre, Haddad and an accomplice used their volunteer roles at a logistics center aiding soldiers and Gaza border residents, and their access to restricted military zones, to steal vehicles from Kibbutz Be'eri and transport them to the Palestinian Authority territories. They allegedly used fake sales contracts.

The magistrate's court had sentenced Haddad to 5.5 years in prison, a suspended sentence, a fine of NIS 25,000, a driving license suspension, and NIS 5,000 in compensation to each victim. Haddad appealed his conviction and sentence, while the prosecution appealed the leniency of the sentence, arguing it did not reflect the severity of the crimes and the exceptional circumstances.

The district court judges rejected Haddad's appeal against his conviction, upholding the findings of the lower court. However, they accepted the state's appeal regarding the sentence. The court emphasized that the crimes occurred just days after the October 7th disaster, during a period of national shock and trauma when the public was engaged in widespread volunteer efforts. The court noted Haddad's exploitation of volunteer work and access to combat zones to steal property from victims of the massacre and evacuees.

Consequently, the court increased Haddad's sentence to 7.5 years of actual imprisonment, minus time already served. The other components of the original sentence remain unchanged.