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Shin Bet Chief Warns of Paramilitary Groups in Negev Bedouin Communities
Shin Bet Chief David Zini issued an unusual warning to the security cabinet on Monday, alerting ministers to the development of military infrastructure and quasi-military formations within Bedouin communities in the Negev. Zini described the phenomenon as very worrying, stating that the agency is actively and constantly working alongside the police and the IDF to thwart attempts to establish these military-style battalions.
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What happened
- 01Shin Bet Chief David Zini warned the security cabinet of attempts to establish military-style infrastructure and battalions in Negev Bedouin communities.
- 02Security assessments link these Bedouin formations to the terrorist organization Hamas, aiming to carry out terrorist acts.
- 03The connections to Hamas are reportedly facilitated through marriages with women from Gaza and Judea and Samaria.
- 04The warning follows a two-year rise in Bedouin involvement in terror incidents and weapons smuggling across the Jordanian and Egyptian borders.
- 05Security forces detected thousands of drone crossings at the border, with approximately 90 pistols smuggled from Jordan seized in 2025.
- 06Zini clashed with Minister Orit Strock, who accused the security establishment of downplaying Palestinian attacks on Israelis.
- 07Zini raised the possibility of reinstating administrative detention for Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria if violent incidents persist.
According to security assessments, these emerging groups are linked to the terrorist organization Hamas and aim to carry out terrorist acts. Security officials reported that these connections are facilitated through marriage ties with women from the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria. The warning follows a two-year rise in Bedouin involvement in terror incidents, nationalist and religious radicalization, and extensive weapons smuggling, particularly from Jordan and across the Egyptian border.
During the cabinet meeting, which focused on threats from Gaza and Judea and Samaria, Zini also clashed with Minister Orit Strock. Strock accused the security establishment of presenting an incomplete assessment of violence in Judea and Samaria and downplaying Palestinian attacks on Israelis. Additionally, Zini raised the possibility of reinstating administrative detention for Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria if violence continues, a measure previously halted by Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 6 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: Al-Shams. Read Al-Shams’s original
The coverage
6 newsrooms on this story
Who covered it
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- Centre2
- Right2
- HarediNone
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