Cops raid prenuptial party in Umm al-Fahm, saying they suspected guns were present

Police raided a pre-wedding henna party in the northern Arab city of Umm al-Fahm last night, footage shows, the second police action against marriage celebrations in the Arab community in as many days.

The raid came as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir touted the Friday night detention of an Arab bride and groom whose wedding convoy allegedly disrupted traffic in southern Israel.

The video from Umm al-Fahm shows guests at the henna lying face down between overturned chairs as officers move around them.

اقتحمت الشرطة الإسرائيلية سهرة حناء للعريس الشاب محمود مصطفى عفن محاميد في حي الشاغور بمدينة أم الفحم بالقنابل الصوتية وأجبرت المدعويين كبارا وصغارا على الانبطاح أرضا وروعت الأهالي وعكرت أجواء فرحهم من أجل " مصادرة "نرجيلة" و"تناول الحلويات"، وفق مصادر محلية. pic.twitter.com/YNVOLBooOL

— موقع عرب 48 (@arab48website) August 16, 2026

According to eyewitnesses cited by the Arab48 news site, police appeared suddenly, threw stun grenades, demanded guests get down on the ground, and searched them without finding anything suspicious. The officers reportedly helped themselves to sweets and confiscated a hookah before leaving. No arrests are reported.

In response to a query police say, “The actions documented in the video were carried out following the suspicion that firearms were used.”

Officers “acted to investigate the suspicions and locate the weapons,” police say, adding that “the Israel Police will continue acting resolutely and uncompromisingly against the occurrence of gunfire at weddings.”

The statement does not say whether any firearms were found or otherwise contest the eyewitnesses’ account.

Arab wedding ceremonies often feature celebratory gunfire into the air, though there have been communal efforts to put an end to the practice.

Ali Adnan Barakat, an attorney who sits on the Umm al-Fahm municipal council, says in a statement on the henna raid that “the intimidation of the guests, disruption of their security and ruining their joy at a social event is condemnable and must not go unpunished.”

If there was no legal basis for the raid, then the officers’ conduct “requires investigation and prosecution in accordance with the law… especially in light of the extremist approach led by Ben Gvir,” says Barakat.

Last night, the minister posted a brief video on X that showed a bride and groom — both in their wedding attire — being led into the Ayarot police station in southern Israel on Friday night.

The couple had “created a wedding convoy on Negev roads and deliberately caused congestion and traffic disruptions,” Ben Gvir said.

זה לא כניסה לחופה…
חתן וכלה שיצרו שיירת חתונה בכבישי הנגב וגרמו לפקקים במכוון ולהפרעה בתנועה, עוכבו על ידי שוטרי מרחב רותם לתחנת עיירות. pic.twitter.com/IzwNFeSuMW

— אמברגו (@embargo1news) August 15, 2026

The post drew some criticism online, with veteran Arab MK Ahmad Tibi writing: “This isn’t enforcement. This is a police force that wants to turn even an Arab wedding into a zone of fear and intimidation.”

After Ben Gvir’s post disappears from his feed, he denies having deleted it, and tells right-wing radio station Galey Israel to “check if X removed it.”

The social network does not immediately respond to a request for comment.