A covert financial investigation that ran for months turned into a nationwide arrest operation this morning, with 21 suspects taken into custody on suspicion of involvement in a financial scheme tied to work carried out for the IDF in the Gaza Strip during the war.
According to a police statement, the investigation is being led by the National Unit for Serious and Economic Crime Investigations (Southern District) at Lahav 433, in coordination with the Special Investigations Unit of the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division and the Beersheba VAT Investigations Unit of the Tax Authority.
The investigation centers on IDF activity in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war on 7 October 2023. As fighting intensified and operational needs grew, the army required heavy engineering equipment, which was supplied through civilian contractors.
Over recent months, investigators examined suspicions of financial crimes running into the millions of shekels, including obtaining property by fraud, money laundering and bribery. The suspects include individuals from contracting companies alongside career IDF personnel.
This morning the investigation moved into its overt phase, and in a coordinated operation 21 suspects were arrested across the country. All those detained were transferred for questioning at Lahav 433, and later today they are expected to be brought to remand hearings at the Beersheba Magistrate's Court and the military court at Beit Lid.
Police emphasise that the investigation is ongoing in cooperation with all the bodies involved, with the aim of getting to the truth and bringing those implicated to justice, should the suspicions be proven.
