IDF Receives Unexpected Returns in Military Equipment Drive

By אבי אשכנזי

Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba

CenterCharged tone

Hebrew · 2 newsrooms covering

The IDF's campaign for the public to return military equipment has yielded a significant response, including dangerous items like explosives and firearms. Notable returns include a RZR vehicle, over 1,600 explosive devices, and 118 firearms. The IDF is pleased with the anonymous returns, which help reduce risks associated with unsecured military gear.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

IDF's equipment return campaign has seen over 1,660 explosive devices and 118 firearms handed in.
A citizen brought a device with multiple connected explosive charges, requiring a 3.5-hour neutralization.
A Kia Picanto car delivered hundreds of machine gun rounds and numerous grenades to a base.
The IDF is accepting returns anonymously to encourage public participation.
Returned items include historical weapons like Uzi rifles and a Carl Gustaf rifle.

IDF Receives Unexpected Returns in Military Equipment Drive — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has launched a campaign encouraging the public to return unused military equipment, and the response has included surprising and potentially dangerous items. Among the returns were a RZR all-terrain vehicle, over 100,000 rifle and machine gun rounds, 1,660 explosive devices and weapons, 118 firearms including pistols, rifles, and a machine gun, and over 1,270 textile items and body armor vests.

Lt. Col. Ayin, Deputy Logistics Officer of the Central Command, stated that all returned equipment undergoes a thorough inspection. Explosive devices are initially examined by police sappers and then by ammunition technicians. Functional items are returned to service, while unusable equipment is scrapped. This process applies to ammunition, explosives, and various gear, including items used for tracking, fragmentation, and stun grenades.

In one incident at the Nachshonim base, a Kia Picanto car arrived carrying crates of ammunition, including hundreds of machine gun rounds, M16 magazines, and numerous grenades. Officers noted that an accident involving this vehicle could have triggered a chain reaction of explosions. Another alarming event involved a citizen bringing in a device with multiple connected explosive charges, requiring police sappers three and a half hours to neutralize and necessitating the closure of the base's entrance.

The IDF is pleased with the public's response and urges anyone with unneeded military equipment or weapons to return them anonymously. Lt. Col. Ayin emphasized that the process is entirely confidential, with no questions asked about how the equipment was acquired. The campaign aims to safely collect items, some dating back to the pre-state era, such as Uzi rifles and a nearly century-old Carl Gustaf rifle used by the pre-state paramilitary organizations.