Southern District
Israeli-media coverage mentioning Southern District, translated into English and compared across sources. 45 recent stories.
Gur Hasidic leader in Arad urges calm after violent street clash
The Gur Hasidic rabbi in Arad, Mordechai Chaim Volkovitz, urged calm after a violent clash on Wednesday between secular residents and Hasidim. He told followers not to answer insu…
Israeli Police Seize 12,000 Stolen Army Rounds and an M16 in Rahat Raid
Police and Border Police officers raided several sites in Rahat and seized 12 boxes of stolen IDF ammunition, an M16 rifle, magazines and other military gear. Four suspects were a…
Arad tensions erupt into clashes as ultra-Orthodox protests and roadblocks escalate
Clashes erupted in Arad on Wednesday after Haredi protests and roadblocks over draft issues angered secular residents. Mayor Yair Maayan backed police reinforcements as the city’s…
Netivot Police Negotiator Helps End Armed Suicide Threat Safely
A suicidal-ideation incident in Netivot ended without injuries after police negotiators persuaded a security guard to surrender his weapon. The man, who was alone with his wife an…
Daughter Says Father Was Killed at Work by Indifferent Violence, Not an Accident
Sivan Kamin Ofek said her father, Gabriel Kamin, was killed at work at a gas station in Moshav Nir Banim on June 5, and that the station reopened the same day while his blood was…
Drone Hidden With Explosives and Ammunition Found in Segev Shalom
Police and Prison Service units found a suspicious drone hidden in open ground in Segev Shalom carrying explosives, a phone and ammunition. A bomb disposal expert neutralized the…
Negev Police Commander Returns Fallen Officer’s Personal Weapon to His Widow
Negev District Commander Brig. Gen. Amir Klein visited the family of Chief Superintendent Itamar Alos in Ofakim on Monday night and returned Alos’s personal weapon to his widow an…
Indictment in Beersheba road-rage stabbing after traffic dispute
Israel’s State Attorney’s Office indicted two Beersheba men, aged 21 and 19, for allegedly stabbing a driver after a road dispute. The victim was injured in the leg and stomach, w…
At the Edri family home in Ofakim, police surprise Aviatar Edri with promotion
Aviatar Edri was surprised with a promotion at his family home in Ofakim, the same house where his parents were held hostage on October 7. Senior Southern District police official…
Two Businesses Closed After 13 Illegal Workers Were Found
Southern District Police ordered 30-day closures for a factory near Gan Yavneh and a bakery in Shגב שלום after finding 13 undocumented workers there. The workers were arrested, an…
Dietitian Says Summer Heat Can Trigger Cravings for Carbs, and Explains How to Respond
A clinical dietitian says summer heat can sap energy, increase dehydration and intensify cravings for carbs, and offers practical nutrition advice. She recommends eating water-ric…
Truck Driver Seen Throwing Gum Packs Before Fatal Crash at Gas Station
A video from a gas station in Nir Banim shows truck driver Michael Cohen allegedly throwing gum packs at Gabi Kamin before fatally running him over. Police initially suspected mur…
Rahat murder and kidnapping case leads to indictment after key witness testimony
Southern District prosecutors indicted Brazi Al-Obra, a 28-year-old Rahat resident, over a fatal attack in which a young man was killed, his brother was kidnapped, and a getaway c…
Netivot Suspect Charged After Arson, Theft of Electric ATV, and Over NIS 1 Million Damage
A Netivot man in his 20s was caught on security cameras allegedly breaking into a local business, setting it on fire, stealing an electric ATV, and causing more than NIS 1 million…
Israeli Drone Smuggling to Gaza Found to Average About 10 Cases a Month
The IDF has logged 170 drone smuggling attempts from Israel into Gaza over a period described as December 2024 to April 2024, or about 10 a month. Two Bedouin-diaspora suspects we…
Suspected daytime sexual assault in Azor leads to arrest of West Bank resident
A 20-year-old woman reported a daylight sexual assault in Azor, prompting a fast-moving police investigation. Within hours, police and IDF assistance led to the arrest of a 36-yea…
Bus Driver Indicted in Death of 16-Year-Old Near Protest in Southern Israel
Southern District prosecutors have indicted Rehovot bus driver Moshe Nadav for reckless killing in the death of 16-year-old Naftali Kramer near Kiryat Gat. The case stems from a J…
Police Split Over October 7 Nova Festival Response as Internal Inquiry Surfaces
Israeli police inquiries into the October 7 Nova festival massacre are being revealed nearly three years later. The main dispute is over the emergency declaration "Parash Pleshet"…
Police Detain Suspects After More Than a Ton of Watermelons Is Taken Near Nahal Oz
Border Police in southern Israel detained several suspects on Wednesday after officers found them loading more than a ton of watermelons from farmland near Nahal Oz. The landowner…
Indictment Says Smugglers Used Drones to Send Drugs and Cigarettes into Gaza
Israeli prosecutors indicted two Bedouin men for using drones, some with stolen IDF parts, to smuggle drugs and cigarettes into Gaza. The pair allegedly tried to flee police after…
Passenger Found Dead After Car Catches Fire in Kiryat Gat
A passenger died after a car caught fire in Kiryat Gat, prompting an Israel Police investigation. Southern District officers, bomb disposal experts and forensic teams were sent to…
Truck Driver Charged Over Fatal Gas Station Death of 81-Year-Old Worker
Southern District prosecutors charged Michael Cohen, 55, with causing death by recklessness after his truck struck and killed 81-year-old gas station worker Gabriel Kamin near Nir…
Housing Starts Rise, but Construction Times Stretch Further
Israel saw more housing permits, starts and completions over the past year, but average building times also lengthened. The Central Bureau of Statistics said the longest delays we…
Police Air and Ground Chase Ends in Arrest of 16-Year-Old Quad Rider in the Negev
Police arrested a 16-year-old Bedouin boy in the Negev after a helicopter-assisted chase for riding a quad bike without a helmet or license. The vehicle was impounded for 30 days…
YASA to Open New Gifted High School in Netivot, Its First Outside Jerusalem
YASA will open YASA Negev in Netivot, its first gifted high school outside Jerusalem, in the 2027 school year. The school will start with two 9th-grade classes, serve religious an…
Teen charged after fatal rollover during police chase in southern Israel
A 17-year-old from the Negev has been indicted in Beersheba for negligent homicide after fleeing police in a car he drove without a license or insurance. The rollover killed a 20-…
Elderly Woman Robbed After Being Knocked Down in Beersheba
Southern District prosecutors indicted a man from southern Israel for robbing an 80-year-old woman in Beersheba on June 4. He allegedly pushed her down near the municipal market…
Bus Driver Charged 8 Years After Alleged Sex Crimes Against Two High School Students
Israeli prosecutors have filed an indictment against bus driver Hi Chen Nagar, 50, over alleged sexual offenses against two 17-year-old students during a 2018 school trip in south…
Police seize 11 kg of hashish and drone in foiled smuggling attempt on Route 1
Police stopped a suspicious vehicle on Route 1 near Jerusalem on Monday and found about 11 kilograms of hashish and a drone. A man in his 50s from the Ar'arat al-Naqab area was ar…
Consumer prices dip in May as home prices fall, rents keep rising
Israel’s consumer price index fell 0.3% in May, keeping annual inflation at 1.9%. Apartment prices declined overall, but rents continued to rise sharply, especially for new tenant…
Southern Israel lenders charged with extortion threats against debtors
Prosecutors in Beersheba indicted Raz Amitzur and Dor Tayeb for allegedly running an organized extortion scheme against debtors. The pair are accused of using threats, intimidatio…
17 indicted after protest mob stormed military police chief’s home
Israeli prosecutors indicted 17 people, including four minors, for storming the home of Military Police Chief Yuval Yamin during an ultra-Orthodox protest near Ashkelon. Police al…
South Israel Protest After Military Police Arrest of 22-Year-Old Yeshiva Student
Military police arrested 22-year-old yeshiva student Aviel Cohen at the Gilat gas station near Ofakim on suspicion of draft evasion. Dozens of Haredi protesters then blocked the j…
Police Clear Roadblock at Gilat Junction
Southern District police are clearing a roadblock at Gilat Junction on Routes 25 and 241. Dozens of protesters blocked traffic, and police are telling drivers to avoid the area an…
Israel Committee Warns of Possible Collapse in Mitzpe Ramon Over Annual Deficit
The Knesset Interior and Environment Committee discussed Mitzpe Ramon’s worsening financial crisis on Monday. Local officials said the council faces a 15 million shekel annual def…
Police chase ends in crash and arrest after driver ignored stop order
A 19-year-old driver led Yoav Unit officers on a dangerous chase on Route 25 in southern Israel before crashing and being arrested. He was later indicted on multiple traffic and o…
Southern District Reports Drop in Property Crime, Rise in Indictments
Southern District police said property crime fell 25% and indictments rose 46% in the latest reporting period. Officials credited police leadership and Ministry of National Securi…
Israeli Home Sales Fell Nearly 30% in April, but Some Cities Kept Rising
Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reported that apartment sales fell sharply in April, with 5,120 homes sold, about 29.5% fewer than in March. The decline was broad-based, tho…
Teen Driver Crashes During South District Police Chase After Trying to Evade Check
Southern District police chased a car whose 16-year-old driver tried to flee an inspection on Sunday. The car overturned, and officers later found he had no driver’s licence and t…
Three Ashkelon Suspects Held After Loaded Gun Found in Car
Three Ashkelon men were arrested after police found a loaded handgun and other equipment in their car. A court extended their detention until Wednesday as investigators say they w…
Brush and Trash Fire Breaks Out in Open Area Near Tel Sheva, Fire Crews Deployed
A brush and trash fire broke out in open land in Tel Sheva, in Israel's Negev. Firefighters are working at 10 points to prevent the blaze from reaching homes, and reinforcements a…
Israeli Juvenile Prosecutors Warn of Rising Violence and Earlier Criminality
Israeli juvenile prosecutors say youth crime is becoming younger, more violent, and increasingly linked to gangs and social media. They cite knife attacks, arson, and severe assau…
Dozens of Protesters Block Fork Junction Near Netivot
Dozens of protesters blocked Fork Junction near Netivot, at the intersection of Routes 34 and 25. Southern District Police and Border Police are preparing to disperse them and res…
‘She Was in Total Shock’: Indictment Filed Against Sderot Driver Who Fled Crash Scene by Taxi
The Southern District Prosecutor’s Office has indicted Hodia Hassan, 26, of Sderot, over a fatal August 19 crash on Route 232 that killed two women and injured three others. Prose…
New Commander Takes Over Golan Brigade After Two Years of Fighting on the Syrian Front
Colonel Y' was appointed commander of the Golan Brigade (474) at a handover ceremony in the Gamla Nature Reserve. He replaces Colonel Beni Kata, who is moving on to command the So…
