Defense Ministry to order 200 armored vehicles for local defense in south, north, and Judea and Samaria

Continuing its effort to beef up local security teams and measures in the aftermath of October 7, the Defense Ministry announced it would be purchasing 200 armored vehicles to be deployed by the IDF for local defense in the Gaza Perimeter, in the north near the border, and in Judea and Samaria.

The government has also been working to either establish new, armed security response teams or strengthen existing ones with new equipment and new legal authority to operate even without official on site supervision.

An additional, controversial reform meant to increase security has been National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's loosening of restrictions and streamlining of rules for civilian firearm ownership. Some critics have said the reform has made things too lax, citing inadequate training requirements and the danger of weapons falling into the wrong hands.