Man accused of masquerading as soldier for weeks to steal arms, even posing with Netanyahu

A Tel Aviv man is charged with stealing military and police weapons from the battle zone in south Israel, apparently taking advantage of the chaos in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 massacres, with the intention of selling the arms on the black market.

Roi Yifrach allegedly stole arms and equipment in the weeks after October 7 while pretending to be a police officer, an officer in the elite Yamam counterterrorism unit, and a Shin Bet operative. He is charged with various weapons offenses, along with theft under aggravated circumstances.

Yifrach, a Tel Aviv resident around the age of 35, roamed the area near the Gaza border for a number of weeks with a fake ID, was photographed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while he was visiting the military’s assembly areas, and met soldiers and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant without anyone knowing that he was an impostor.

The charge sheet says Yifrach stole an IDF assault rifle, two smoke grenades, 14 stun grenades, a pistol from a police officer, dozens of cartridges of ammunition, and three detonators, as well as other equipment.

He hid everything at his house.

Police received information on the case and searched his home, finding the stolen arms.