IDF Recruit Sentenced to 24.5 Years for Aiding Gaza Terror Group

The Beersheba District Court on Wednesday, October 14, sentenced Shhade Abu Alqian, a resident of a Bedouin village in the Negev, to 24.5 years in prison. Abu Alqian enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on behalf of a terrorist organization from Gaza. Before his enlistment, he had already provided his handlers with information about targets in Israel and delivered weapons to Judea and Samaria for the group. In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a suspended sentence and a fine of 25,000 shekels. His details have also been forwarded to the Interior Minister for consideration of revoking his Israeli citizenship.

According to the amended indictment, Abu Alqian decided to seek revenge against Israel and harm its security in 2019, following an administrative order to demolish his father's house. In September of that year, he stole an M4 assault rifle, a magazine, and a laser sight from an IDF soldier, burying the stolen items near his home. From 2021, Abu Alqian communicated with terrorists from Gaza via social media and Telegram, expressing support for the fight against Israel and requesting to join the military wing of Hamas. He subsequently began carrying out tasks for another terrorist organization, Kataib al-Mujahideen.

He provided his handlers with information and photographs of IDF bases, train stations, government companies, and shopping centers, as well as reporting on the movements of soldiers and helicopters in his residential area. In March 2022, a group member named Abu Suleiman contacted him and proposed acquiring weapons. Abu Alqian agreed to sell the rifle stolen from the army and insisted on personally delivering the weapons to Judea and Samaria. In May, he involved his cousin in this operation. They loaded the M4 rifle, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and five hand grenades into a car, drove them to Judea and Samaria, and left them in a cache for the terrorist organization.

Concurrently, following his handlers' instructions, Abu Alqian enlisted in the IDF on May 22, 2022. His objective was to gather intelligence from within about Bedouin soldiers, bases, and the locations of military facilities for the group. He was apprehended approximately eight days later. In December 2025, Abu Alqian pleaded guilty to the amended indictment as part of a plea deal with the prosecution. He was found guilty of aiding the enemy during wartime, active participation in a terrorist organization, aggravated theft, and weapons offenses. The Southern District Prosecutor's Office had sought a lengthy prison sentence, suspended sentences, and a substantial fine. The prosecution highlighted Abu Alqian's connection to Kataib al-Mujahideen, a group implicated in the murder of Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir, to underscore the severity of the case.