Looting surges in 'Israel' as Iranian airstrikes expose internal chaos
4 Min Read
Amid escalating Iranian missile strikes, Israeli authorities are battling a surge in looting across damaged areas, highlighting internal unrest and growing security failures.
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An Israeli police officer patrols as people take shelter in an underground metro station as a precaution against possible Iranian missile attacks, in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, Tuesday, June 17, 2025 (AP)
As the Iranian missile campaign intensifies, the Israeli occupation is grappling with a growing wave of internal unrest, marked by widespread looting in areas struck by Iranian firepower. Israeli media have reported a sharp rise in theft and lawlessness, exposing cracks in internal security during wartime.
Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir admitted in an interview for Channel 12 that looting has become a serious concern in missile-hit zones across "Israel", stating that “a worrying surge in theft incidents has been recorded in the wake of the Iranian strikes.” He acknowledged that emergency security deployments have become essential to protect property in evacuated areas.
“Strengthening security around missile impact zones has become an urgent necessity due to the rise in theft and fears of looters,” Ben-Gvir said.
One such case occurred in Bat Yam, where a missile strike on Sunday forced settlers to flee their damaged communities. On Tuesday, Israeli police arrested an Israeli settler caught exiting a destroyed residential complex. A search revealed he was carrying jewelry, cash, perfumes, a smartwatch, and illicit drugs, all stolen from the abandoned apartments.
A legacy of looting
A police spokesperson claimed that law enforcement is “taking very seriously any attempts to loot property belonging to Israelis who were evacuated from their homes due to war-related damage,” and vowed to “pursue offenders to the fullest extent of the law.”
The internal crisis comes amid longstanding cases that Israeli occupation forces have themselves looted homes and public facilities in Gaza, South Lebanon, and southern Syria. According to multiple Israeli media reports and eyewitness testimonies, troops were documented removing personal belongings, cash, and gold during their ground invasions in these areas.
As Iranian missile strikes continue to penetrate deep into "Israel", exposing weaknesses in air defenses, "Israel" now finds itself facing a dual crisis: external military threats and internal societal disintegration.
IOF looted cash and gold from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria: Israeli media
A report in March uncovered that the Israeli military's “Loot Unit” has plundered substantial amounts of weaponry, cash, and gold since the onset of its wars and aggression on Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, the Israeli daily Ynet reported, adding that the unit has amassed enough weaponry to equip “a small army.”
Lt. Col. Sharon Kotler of the unit stated, “We don’t like to just take in loot, keep it, and maintain it without making a profit from it. I always ask what the value of this loot is.”
The unit, which comprises approximately 500 members, with 2,400 soldiers involved in the looting, stole “mountains of cash” from what they dub "enemy territories".
The soldiers of the Zionist entity are a group of stupid thieves, and here they are recording themselves trying to break into a safe in the home of a civilian Palestinian family in Gaza.
— د. جمال الملا (@DrJamal11) January 16, 2024
Their principle is the same: “If I don’t steal it, someone else will steal it.”
Because they… pic.twitter.com/2c5ixZSrgo
