Negev Man Charged with Smuggling 32 Firearms from Sinai Using Drones

On January 17, 2026, a criminal indictment was filed at the Beersheba District Court against Salam Amital from Masa'udin al-Azazmeh for involvement in smuggling dozens of firearms from Egypt into Israel over the past two years. Amital is accused of importing and selling 32 rifles and pistols, some transported via drones. According to the indictment submitted by Asaf Bar Yosef from the Southern District Prosecutor's Office, Amital maintained contacts with smugglers in Sinai during 2025 and 2026. He collected weapons from various border meeting points, concealed and transported them, then sold them within Israel for tens of thousands of shekels each.

Israeli Police, Shin Bet, and the IDF thwarted an arms smuggling attempt from the Sinai border involving a drone. In one incident, Amital planned to smuggle three M-16 rifles using a drone, which was intercepted by military forces. Following this, Amital destroyed his mobile phone to eliminate evidence and hinder the investigation. Another case involved Amital purchasing an FN assault rifle for 30,000 shekels and holding it for months. His method involved repeatedly collecting shipments of three to seven M-16 rifles and selling them for 32,000 to 35,000 shekels each.

The weapons were hidden in a cave near the settlement of Bir al-Daq. Police found two pistols, dozens of magazines, ammunition, and over two kilograms of hashish during a search of the site. The indictment also states that Amital assisted his brother and others in assembling smuggled weapons, including machine guns and Kalashnikov rifles.