Since the policy was introduced after Israel’s onslaught on Gaza began in October 2023, some 230,000 new licenses have been issued, including to illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has broadened a controversial gun licensing scheme, making another 100,000 Israelis eligible for private firearm permits.
In a statement on Monday, Ben-Gvir’s office said five more towns, Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malakhi, Gan Yavne, Megiddo and Tel Mond were added to the list of communities where residents can apply for gun licenses, the Anadolu news agency reported.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, has announced the addition of five new cities and local councils to the list of settlements eligible for personal firearm licences.
The newly included areas are Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malakhi, Gan Yavne, Megiddo and Tel… pic.twitter.com/MtF0J7R93E
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) September 1, 2025
The extremist minister claimed the measure was effective in light of an “increase in security incidents “across Israel.
“This reform has saved many lives and shown its effectiveness in the field. It is meant to give citizens the ability to protect themselves and their communities,” he reportedly said.
Since the policy was introduced after Israel’s onslaught on Gaza began in October 2023, some 230,000 new licenses have been issued, including to illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Requests ‘Surged’
According to the Times of Israel, gun permit requests have “surged” with over 403,000 requests for licences submitted, half of which “have been conditionally granted,” the report noted.
The paper also reported that in the wake of October 7, the National Security Ministry also “granted temporary authority to Ben Gvir’s personal staff appointees, Knesset employees, and others to approve gun license applications.”
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It added that several “were subsequently investigated by police on suspicion that the ministry inappropriately issued firearms permits.”
The expansion has stirred growing alarm in Israel, with reports of deadly mistakes in which Israelis were shot by armed civilians who suspected them of being Palestinians. Media outlets have also pointed to flaws in the vetting process, saying permits were granted to unfit applicants, Anadolu reported.
Ongoing Killings
Armed illegal settlers have long been accused of using licensed weapons to attack Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, often driving families from their homes and seizing land.
Israel’s ongoing onslaught in Gaza has been mirrored by intensified settlement activity, home demolitions, and forced displacement in the West Bank, steps critics say are paving the way for annexation and undermining any prospect of a two-state solution, Anadolu reported.
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At least 1,016 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers since October 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal. It demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
(Anadolu, PC)
The Israeli Jewish Nazis are scum. Gvir is a piece of sh!t. I’m ashamed of my US government. We should be arming and financing Palestine, not Wasrael.
The govt of Israel is supplying guns to its own extremists! Not content with massacring Palestinians, this set of clowns will end up massacring their fellow Jewish Israeli citizens. All that needs to happen is some Jonestown dork to rise from the messianic lunatics in the West Bank and Israel and (blare of drums and beating of trumpets!!!) we will have Masada The Musical!