An Israeli man in his 30s was arrested for impersonating a soldier in the Gaza Strip, posing as a member of the elite forces and even managing to have his photo taken next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, AFP reports.
Roi Yifrah, 35, apparently never served in the Israeli army, but was able to travel to the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army has been at war with Hamas since the Palestinian Islamist movement's deadly attack on Israeli territory on October 7.
According to Israeli police, he was arrested on December 17 on charges of usurping his position within the security forces and stealing weapons.
Photo with Benjamin Netanyahu
In the weeks following the Oct. 7 attack, Roi Yifrah, a Tel Aviv resident, allegedly claimed to be a member of the Yamam Special Forces, an elite counterterrorism police squad, the indictment says. He even claimed to be an agent of the Shin Bet, the internal security service.
King Yifrah also reportedly managed to evade security checks by posing next to him in uniform during Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to frontline troops last week.
Weapons confiscated
The indictment states that Roi Yifrah never served in the military and never played a role within Yamam or Shin Bet.
Police announced the seizure of weapons from his apartment, car and his mother's house, including an assault rifle, grenades, explosive charges, bullets, military computers and a drone.
The charges relate to the theft of military equipment and deceiving officials to fraudulently obtain additional equipment in serious circumstances.
The army did not immediately respond.
According to his lawyer, a volunteer nurse
Roi Yifrah's lawyer, Eitan Sabag, said his client traveled to southern Israel on October 7 as a volunteer nurse.
He gave first aid and rescued dozens of injured people, he told Kan public radio.
He also claimed that Roi Yifrah fought alongside elite Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip's Al-Rimal neighborhood, one of the territory's key battlefields.
Why would someone who wants to steal a gun take the supposedly stolen gun and go deep into Gaza, into the most dangerous places? , argued Me Sabag.
According to the Ynet news site, his client had previously been charged with illegal possession of weapons and drugs.