Bedouin Man Sentenced to 24.5 Years for Spying for Gaza Terror Group While in IDF

The Beersheba District Court sentenced Shahada Abu Alqian, a resident of the Negev's Bedouin community, to 24 and a half years in prison on Wednesday for acting as an agent for a Gaza-based terror organization. Abu Alqian was convicted as part of a plea deal on charges including aiding an enemy during wartime, active membership in a terror group, and other offenses. He had stolen a rifle from an IDF soldier, provided intelligence to his handlers, and enlisted in the army with the intent to gather information from within the military system.

According to the indictment, Abu Alqian decided to act against Israel in 2019 after an administrative demolition order was issued for his father's home. That year, he stole an M4 assault rifle, a magazine, and a laser sight from an IDF soldier in the Yatir area, hiding them near his residence. Starting in 2021, he contacted terror operatives in Gaza and subsequently worked for the "Kataeb Al-Mujahideen" terror group.

During his activities, he sent his handlers photos and information about IDF bases, train stations, government companies, and shopping centers. He also reported on the movements of soldiers and helicopters in his area. In March 2022, he was asked to procure weapons for the organization and offered to sell the rifle he had stolen from the IDF. In May of that year, he recruited his cousin to assist him, and together they transferred an M4 rifle, thousands of bullets, and five hand grenades to the West Bank, hiding them.

Concurrently, and under his handler's direction, Abu Alqian enlisted in the IDF on May 22, 2022, aiming to collect intelligence on Bedouin soldiers, bases, and military locations. He was arrested about eight days later, and his activities were thwarted. In December 2025, he was convicted after admitting to the charges as part of the plea agreement. In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a suspended sentence and a fine of 25,000 shekels.

Prosecutors emphasized the severity of his ties to the terror group, which was involved in the murder of the Bibas family during the "Swords of Iron" war. Attorney Hofit Kantrovitz of the Southern District Prosecutor's Office, who managed the case, stated, "This is an exceptionally grave case, where a citizen of the State of Israel chose to act against it, maintain contact with a terror organization, and even enlist in the IDF on behalf of a terror organization, with the aim of gathering information from within the IDF and harming the country's security." She added that parallel to the criminal proceedings, his details were transferred to the Minister of Interior for consideration of revoking his citizenship.